tools
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noun
1.
an implement, especially one held in the hand, as a hammer, saw, or file, for performing or facilitating mechanical operations.
2.
any instrument of manual operation.
3.
the cutting or machining part of a lathe, planer, drill, or similar machine.
4.
the machine itself; a machine tool.
5.
anything used as a means of accomplishing a task or purpose: Education is a tool for success.
6.
a person manipulated by another for the latter's own ends; cat's-paw.
7.
the design or ornament impressed upon the cover of a book.
8.
Underworld Slang.
a.
a pistol or gun.
b.
a pickpocket.
9.
Slang: Vulgar. penis.
verb (used with object)
10.
to work or shape with a tool.
11.
to work decoratively with a hand tool.
12.
to ornament (the cover of a book) with a bookbinder's tool.
13.
to drive (a vehicle): He tooled the car along the treacherous path.
14.
to equip with tools or machinery.
00:10
Tools
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
verb (used without object)
Verb phrases 15.
to work with a tool.
16.
to drive or ride in a vehicle: tooling along the freeway.
17.
tool up, to install machinery designed for performing a particular job: manufacturers tooling up for production.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English (noun); Old English tōl; cognate with Old Norse tōl tools; akin to taw2
before 900; Middle English (noun); Old English tōl; cognate with Old Norse tōl tools; akin to taw2
Related forms
tool·er, noun
tool·less, adjective
mul·ti·tool, noun
un·tooled, adjective
Synonyms
1. T ool , implement , instrument , utensil refer to contrivances for doing work. A tool is a contrivance held in and worked by the hand, for assisting the work of (especially) mechanics or laborers: a carpenter's tools. An implement is any tool or contrivance designed or used for a particular purpose: agricultural implements. An instrument is anything used in doing a certain work or producing a certain result, especially such as requires delicacy, accuracy, or precision: surgical or musical instruments. A utensil is especially an article for domestic use: kitchen utensils. When used figuratively of human agency, tool is generally used in a contemptuous sense; instrument , in a neutral or good sense: a tool of unscrupulous men; an instrument of Providence.
1. T ool , implement , instrument , utensil refer to contrivances for doing work. A tool is a contrivance held in and worked by the hand, for assisting the work of (especially) mechanics or laborers: a carpenter's tools. An implement is any tool or contrivance designed or used for a particular purpose: agricultural implements. An instrument is anything used in doing a certain work or producing a certain result, especially such as requires delicacy, accuracy, or precision: surgical or musical instruments. A utensil is especially an article for domestic use: kitchen utensils. When used figuratively of human agency, tool is generally used in a contemptuous sense; instrument , in a neutral or good sense: a tool of unscrupulous men; an instrument of Providence.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To tools
Collins
World English Dictionary
tool (tuːl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a. an implement, such as a hammer, saw, or spade, that is used by hand |
| b. a power-driven instrument; machine tool | |
| c. (in combination): a toolkit | |
| 2. | the cutting part of such an instrument |
| 3. | a. any of the instruments used by a bookbinder to impress a design on a book cover |
| b. a design so impressed | |
| 4. | anything used as a means of performing an operation or achieving an end: he used his boss's absence as a tool for gaining influence |
| 5. | a person used to perform dishonourable or unpleasant tasks for another |
| 6. | a necessary medium for or adjunct to one's profession: numbers are the tools of the mathematician's trade |
| 7. | slang another word for penis |
| 8. | (Brit) an underworld slang word for gun |
| —vb (often foll by up) (when intr, | |
| 9. | to work, cut, shape, or form (something) with a tool or tools |
| 10. | (tr) to decorate (a book cover) with a bookbinder's tool |
| 11. | to furnish with tools |
| 12. | to drive (a vehicle) or (of a vehicle) to be driven, esp in a leisurely or casual style |
| [Old English tōl; related to Old Norse tōl weapon, Old English tawian to prepare; see | |
| 'tooler | |
| —n | |
| 'tool-less | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tool
O.E. tol "instrument, implement," from P.Gmc. *tolan (cf. O.N. tol), from a verb stem represented by O.E. tawian "prepare." The ending is the instrumental suffix -l (e.g. shovel). Fig. sense of "person used by another for his own ends" is recorded from 1663. Slang meaning
"penis" first recorded 1553. The verb "to drive a vehicle" is first attested 1812, probably from the noun. The meaning "to work or shape with a tool" is recorded from 1815; that of "equip (a factory) with machine tools" is from 1927. Tool-box first recorded 1832.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
tool definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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FOLDOC
Example sentences
The entire structure would have been built with bronze tools.
In addition to the fractures, cut marks left on the bones by stone tools clearly indicate that the individuals were cannibalized.
Fortunately, various tools are available to make the job easier.
The twenty-first century will bring us powerful new tools of genetic engineering with which to manipulate our farms and forests.
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