tool
noun OPAL W
/tuːl/
/tuːl/
Idioms 
enlarge image
enlarge imagean instrument such as a hammer, screwdriver, saw, etc. that you hold in your hand and use for making things, repairing things, etc.- garden tools
- a cutting tool
- Always select the right tool for the job.
- craftsmen using traditional tools
- a set of tools
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- general-purpose
- multi-purpose
- basic
- …
- set
- use
- sharpen
- down tools
- …
- a thing that helps you to do your job or to achieve something
- research tools like questionnaires
- a marketing/management tool
- The internet can be a powerful teaching tool.
- a useful/valuable tool
- Some of them carried the guns which were the tools of their trade (= the things they needed to do their job).
- the effectiveness of interest rates as an economic tool
- An email newsletter can be a very effective communication tool.
- They need to use all the tools at their disposal.
Extra Examples- The internet has become a vital tool for many artists.
- This dictionary is a great reference tool for advanced learners.
- We must ensure that education is not used as a political tool.
- a valuable diagnostic tool for physicians
- Technology provides tools to enhance teaching.
- They are developing new software tools.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- new
- effective
- essential
- …
- become
- develop
- provide
- …
- the tools of the/somebody’s trade
- a person who is used or controlled by another person or group
- The prime minister was an unwitting tool of the president.
- (taboo, slang) a penis
Word OriginOld English tōl, from a Germanic base meaning ‘prepare’. The verb dates from the early 19th cent.
Idioms
down tools
- (British English) (of workers) to stop work; to go on strike
not the sharpest tool in the box | not the sharpest knife in the drawer
- (informal, humorous) not intelligent
- He's not exactly the sharpest tool in the box, is he?