tool 1 of 2

tool

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verb

as in to drive
to travel by a motorized vehicle I spent some time tooling around town today

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word tool different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of tool are appliance, implement, instrument, and utensil. While all these words mean "a relatively simple device for performing work," tool suggests an implement adapted to facilitate a definite kind or stage of work and suggests the need of skill more strongly than implement.

a carpenter's tools

When is it sensible to use appliance instead of tool?

While the synonyms appliance and tool are close in meaning, appliance refers to a tool or instrument utilizing a power source and suggests portability or temporary attachment.

household appliances

In what contexts can implement take the place of tool?

In some situations, the words implement and tool are roughly equivalent. However, implement may apply to anything necessary to perform a task.

crude stone implements
farm implements

When is instrument a more appropriate choice than tool?

While in some cases nearly identical to tool, instrument suggests a device capable of delicate or precise work.

the dentist's instruments

When could utensil be used to replace tool?

The words utensil and tool can be used in similar contexts, but utensil applies to a device used in domestic work or some routine unskilled activity.

kitchen utensils

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tool
Noun
Opponents argue that non-lethal tools like bear-proof trash cans, fencing, and hazing should be used instead. Maria Davidson, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 June 2025 An early morning fire at Arlington Garden in Pasadena on May 21 destroyed the garden’s storage shed and all the tools, event furniture and other equipment stored inside, as well as the electricity that powered its extensive drip irrigation system. Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2025
Verb
For example, in tooling there’s Vertex and Firebase for professional developers and Agentspace for the no-code development environment. Jason Andersen, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025 Duncan, who still has his hair and his wits, and tooled around behind the wheel of a PT Cruiser until a fender bender last year, was ten years old when the market crashed. Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tool
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tool
Noun
  • This method typically includes large volumes of granular data such as cookies, device IDs and timestamps across multiple channels.
    Rahul Wankhede, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
  • At that point, the OS will be fairly mature and connected to all the important devices.
    Daisuke Takimoto, Wired News, 27 May 2025
Noun
  • Rick McConnell said that Jerry McConnell asked the employee at the pawn shop for directions to the Prairie Village shopping center.
    Bella Waters, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2025
  • In a subplot, Paul Baker and Samir visit a pawn shop to try to sell a gun Samir doesn’t want in the house, but Paul Baker struggles to talk to the owner, who seems progressive in his actions and beliefs, and completely retrograde in his language.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 27 May 2025
Noun
  • What the Nuggets need to do is find a sucker who is willing to talk themselves into the remaining $79 million over two years owed to Porter, while sending back a couple of quality role players.
    Zach Harper, New York Times, 19 May 2025
  • Peppers that produce large fruit should only be lightly pruned to remove unproductive suckers, but smaller-fruited pepper plants can be pruned a little more aggressively to boost airflow and branching.
    Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 May 2025
Verb
  • Goldstein drove Boozer home with a sacrifice fly and Corral plated the go-ahead run with a single through the right side.
    Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 June 2025
  • And two-thirds of households with an EV have another non-EV that is driven more — hardly a recipe for climate success given that EVs must be driven (a lot) to deliver climate benefits.
    Ashley Nunes, Boston Herald, 7 June 2025
Noun
  • The Time Has Come A stablecoin, a digital dollar, is an instrument whose time has come.
    Cleve Mesidor, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
  • Each installment felt made by a director with a specific take on the material, and Cruise was their versatile instrument.
    Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 31 May 2025
Noun
  • Tianwen 2 will arrive in orbit around the comet in 2035, then measure the target using its onboard instrument suite (all from afar; Tianwen-2 will not land on or sample 311P/PANSTARRS).
    Mike Wall, Space.com, 29 May 2025
  • But from the beginning, Chiuri was the target of critics who skimmed over the political messages of her shows and dismissed her efforts to create wearable wardrobe options for women as bland commercialism.
    Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 29 May 2025
Verb
  • Those motoring to work in a Rolls-Royce aren’t being left out, either.
    Susan Campos, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Mar. 2025
  • The man appears to briefly lift the scooter away from the child’s leg, the child gets back on the scooter, and Miller eventually motors away.
    Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 4 May 2025
Noun
  • Aid is now beginning to be distributed under a contentious U.S.-Israeli mechanism.
    Philissa Cramer, Sun Sentinel, 27 May 2025
  • These measures would fortify the collective power and deterrence of the United States’ alliances far beyond what is possible under today’s informal mechanisms.
    ELY RATNER, Foreign Affairs, 27 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Tool.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tool. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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