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English (UK)
Cambridge Dictionary Online

Meaning of tool in English

tool
noun [ C ]
uk
/tuːl/ us
/tuːl/

tool noun [C] (EQUIPMENT)

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B2
a piece of equipment that you use with your hands to make or repair something:
power tool
machine tool
stone tool
use a tool
C1
something that helps you to do a particular activity:
useful tool A free low-interest credit card can be a useful budgeting tool.
powerful tool
use a tool
tool of the trade [ usually plural ]
A tool of the trade is something you need to use to do your job:
The artist was surrounded by paints, brushes, and other tools of the trade.
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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Tools in general
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

tool noun [C] (PERSON)

disapproving
someone whose decisions and actions are unfairly controlled by others:
tool of The president was widely regarded as the tool of the military.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Lack of freedom to act
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tool noun [C] (PENIS)

offensive
a penis
offensive
an insulting word for a person who you dislike very much or who behaves very stupidly
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Insults & abuse
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(Definition of tool from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

tool | American Dictionary

tool
noun [ C ]
us
/tul/
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a piece of equipment that you use to help you do a job, esp. something that you use with your hands to make or repair something:
The only tools you need for this job are a hammer and a screwdriver.
A tool is also anything that helps you to do something you want to do:
We believe the new law will be an effective tool in fighting poverty.
(Definition of tool from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

tool | Business English

tool
noun [ C ]
uk
/tuːl/ us
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a small piece of equipment that you use with your hands to make or repair something:
They sell agricultural machinery and tools.
You can assemble our furniture using hand tools or very basic power tools.
something that helps you in a particular activity:
An educated sales force is one of the most effective tools any company can have.
Our online presence gives us a powerful new tool to maintain market position.
a business/marketing/research tool
a strategic/managerial/statistical tool
IT
a program or feature of a program that helps you do particular things on a computer:
The spreadsheet program offers several useful tools for manipulating the material.
Companies in the industry tend to use identical, or at least compatible, software tools.
tool of the trade
something that is necessary for doing a particular job:
A personal computer and laptop are essential tools of the trade for any journalist.
The ability to write clearly is another tool of the trade.

See also

machine tool
(Definition of tool from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)
What is the pronunciation of tool?
 

Translations of tool

in Chinese (Traditional)
設備, （用於生產或維修的）工具，器具, （幫助從事特定活動的）工具…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
设备, （用于生产或维修的）工具，器具, （帮助从事特定活动的）工具…
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in Spanish
herramienta, pene, polla…
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in Portuguese
ferramenta, pênis, ferramenta [feminine]…
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in more languages
in Japanese
in Turkish
in French
in Catalan
in Dutch
in Czech
in Danish
in Indonesian
in Thai
in Vietnamese
in Polish
in Swedish
in Malay
in German
in Norwegian
in Korean
in Ukrainian
in Italian
道具, 用具, 道具（どうぐ）…
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âlet, takım, edevat…
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outil [masculine], instrument [masculine], outil…
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eina…
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gereedschap, middel…
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nástroj, nářadí…
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værktøj, redskab…
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alat…
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เครื่องมือ…
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công cụ…
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narzędzie…
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verktyg, redskap, instrument…
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alat…
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das Werkzeug…
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verktøy [neuter], redskap [neuter], middel [neuter]…
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도구…
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робочий інструмент, знаряддя праці…
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attrezzo, strumento…
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too posh to push phrase
too right idiom
toodle-oo
took
tool
tool (something/someone) up phrasal verb
tool kit
tool of the trade phrase
tool shop

Word of the Day

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UK
/ˈkʌm.fət ˌzəʊn/
US
/ˈkʌm.fɚt ˌzoʊn/

a situation in which you feel comfortable and in which your ability and determination are not being tested

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