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tool

/tul/
nounverb

TOOL meaning: a device or aid for a task; TOOL scores 4 Scrabble points.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Noun 4 meanings

  1. Any physical device meant to ease or do a task.

    “Several prehistoric tools, including a stone ax, were found during the dig.”

  2. Anything that aids someone to perform an operation; an instrument; a means.

    “Idleness is a tool of the devil.”

  3. A piece of software used to develop software or hardware, or to perform low-level operations.

    “The software engineer had been developing lots of EDA tools.”

  4. A person or group which is used or controlled, usually unwittingly, by another person or group, a pawn.

    “She was a tool of the pharmaceutical lobby.”

Verb 4 meanings

  1. To work on or shape with tools, e.g., hand-tooled leather.

  2. To equip with tools.

  3. To work very hard.

  4. To intentionally attack the ball so that it deflects off a blocker out of bounds.

Definitions: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA) via Kaikki/Wiktextract

Where it comes from

Etymology

From Middle English tool, tol, from Old English tōl (“tool, implement, instrument”, literally “that with which one prepares something”), perhaps borrowed from Old Norse tól, but at any rate ultimately from Proto-Germanic *tōlą (“that which is used in preparation, tool”), from Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂- (“to tie to, secure”), equivalent to taw (“to prepare”) + -le (agent suffix).

Similar and opposite words

Similar
use

TOOL is an everyday noun for an object designed to make a task easier, from a hand tool to software that performs low-level operations. Its broad meaning also covers anything that helps someone carry out an operation. The entry is marked common, and it appears in Collins, NWL2023, and ENABLE.

TOOL at a glance

  • TOOL names a physical device that eases a task, or software used for low-level operations.
  • Each of its four tiles is worth 1 point, giving TOOL a 4-point face value.
  • The two anagrams made from the same letters are LOOT and LOTO.
  • TOOK, TOLL, TOIL, TOOT, COOL, and POOL are among its 15 one-letter neighbours.
  • TOOL is marked common, with a recorded frequency count of 8,496.

What does TOOL mean in everyday use?

TOOL means an instrument or device that makes an operation easier. A hammer is a tool for driving nails; software can also be a tool when it performs a specific task. The word extends beyond physical objects to anything that helps someone get work done.

On a Scrabble rack, T, O, O, and L each contribute 1 point, so TOOL starts at 4 before any board premiums. The repeated O is easy to overlook when counting tiles, but it still scores separately. TOOL appears in Collins, NWL2023, and ENABLE; check your game's word list if the dictionary edition matters.

Which anagrams and neighbours use TOOL's letters?

LOOT and LOTO are the two anagrams of TOOL. LOOT is the familiar everyday choice; LOTO is a less familiar alternative, so the letter rearrangement does not guarantee both words will feel equally recognizable. Keeping the two O tiles together can make the swap easier to spot.

Change one letter at a time and TOOL connects to words such as TOOK, TOLL, TOIL, TOOT, COOL, and POOL. The neighbour set also includes BOOL, GOOL, SOOL, DOOL, and MOOL, which are less familiar forms. One-letter adjacency is a puzzle relationship, not a sign that every neighbour is common in conversation.

Rhymes with tool

All rhymes

One letter away

Change one letter, keep the rest

Questions people ask

How many points is TOOL worth in Scrabble?
TOOL is worth 4 points before board premiums. T, O, O, and L each score 1 point, so the repeated O counts twice. A letter or word premium on the board can change the final play score.
What are the anagrams of TOOL?
LOOT and LOTO are the two anagrams of TOOL. Both use the same four letters, including the pair of O tiles. LOOT is the more familiar everyday word, while LOTO is a less familiar option.
Which common words are one letter away from TOOL?
TOOK, TOLL, TOIL, TOOT, COOL, and POOL are familiar one-letter neighbours of TOOL. Each changes one letter while keeping the other three in place. The full neighbour set also includes less familiar forms such as BOOL and GOOL.

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