tools 1 of 2

noun

plural of tool
1
as in devices
an article intended for use in work needed a special tool to open the case of the appliance

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2
as in pawns
one that is or can be used to further the purposes of another a ruthless leader using his trusting followers as tools in his quest for power

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3
as in suckers
one who is easily deceived or cheated you're just a pathetic tool of the advertising industry if you believe everything you see in TV commercials

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tools

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of tool
as in drives
to travel by a motorized vehicle I spent some time tooling around town today

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 tools
Noun
Cheap power and an open-weight strategy are real Chinese advantages; American cloud infrastructure and coding tools remain a deeper moat. — Ashish Bhatia, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 While Wyscout is the industry leader for video scouting tools in football, Eyeball has, since forming in 2020, established itself as the youth football equivalent across the globe. — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Verb
Even most CEOs don’t have a full picture of which AI tools their teams are using. — Phil Portman, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Liccardo asked Atkins whether the SEC has opened an investigation into the trades, and what tools the SEC has to investigate them. — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 17 Apr. 2026 There is also the chance that the AI tools misunderstood meanings or context, the researchers noted. — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 14 Apr. 2026 Building on the buzz surrounding Ouai, Atkin founded Mane, a hair tools brand this time, in 2023. — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 27 Feb. 2026 Guests staying at the Beach Club have indulgent perks like a complimentary 15-minute ride on the adorable Sorbetto Fiat boat that tools around Lake Boca. — Angela Caraway-Carlton, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2025 Other introspective angles are explored during Mariano’s audiences with his friend the Pope (Rufin Doh Zeyenouin), a serene Black man with a head crowned by a bundle of silver dreads, who tools around the Vatican on a motorbike. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tools
  1. devices
  2. pawns
  3. suckers
  4. drives
  5. instruments
  6. victims
  7. automobiles
Noun
  • Social media platforms like Instagram may also have security settings to review devices that have access to your account.
    — Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Unlike an Amazon Alexa smart speaker and other devices that wait for a command to activate, the ElliQ is designed to be proactive.
    — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of devices
Noun
  • Personnel is what’s important, but Scaloni treats his players as people, not as pawns on a chessboard.
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • Gulf governments, meanwhile, have dabbled abroad as well, while trying to address grievances among their own Shia populations to prevent them from becoming pawns of Tehran.
    — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 15 June 2026
Definition of pawns
Noun
  • The Maryland Terrapins rolled these suckers out in the early 2010s and subsequently burned the retinas of college football fans all over the country.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Be careful not to remove the suckers all at once, which can put stress on the plant.
    — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 18 July 2026
Definition of suckers
Verb
  • Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk was photographed wearing Normatec compression boots in the back seat of his car on post‑match drives home before becoming an official partner.
    — Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Emotionally powerful and also disorienting, Agazero’s shifting sounds on Dissidente are an invitation to reflect on what calls us to the dancefloor, as well as what drives us away from it.
    — Amanda Cavalcanti, Pitchfork, 31 July 2026
Definition of drives
Noun
  • Meanwhile, teams in Spain will launch six balloons equipped with 360-degree cameras and ozone-monitoring instruments.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • That owes much to guests such as Shahzad Ismaily, Laurie Anderson, Leo Abrahams, and musicians from Mali playing instruments such as the ngoni, calabash, and yabara.
    — Stephen Humphries, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026
Definition of instruments
Noun
  • The police investigation was launched following complaints from relatives of the victims of the Gwangju crackdown, which official records say left about 200 people dead.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Unlike the Tribune, none of the outlets Welch spoke with had interviewed the harassment victims, leaving Welch to present a largely one-sided account.
    — Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of victims
Verb
  • These go-tos make trains, planes, and automobiles far less stressful.
    — Luke Pyenson, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026
Definition of automobiles

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Cite this Entry

“Tools.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tools. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on tools

Nglish: Translation of tools for Spanish Speakers

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