I. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a propaganda tool (= an organization or type of communication that is used to spread propaganda )
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The newspaper had been turned into a propaganda tool.
a useful tool
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The Internet is a useful tool for investors.
diagnostic tests/tools
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Doctors depend on accurate diagnostic tools.
garden tools (= tools that you use for digging, planting etc in the garden )
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Choose the right garden tool and you’ll do the job properly.
gardening gloves/tools/equipment etc
hand tool
machine tool
power tool
powerful tool (= very effective method )
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Good teamwork is a powerful tool for effective management.
tool kit
▪
I realized I’d left my tool kit at home.
tool shed
tool
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Exercise is a valuable tool in treating depression.
tooled up
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
down tools
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After their workmate was sacked, the other machinists all downed tools until she was reinstated.
not the sharpest tool in the box/shed
precision tool/instrument
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A precision instrument whose chief virtues were useless to anyone in this age.
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Basingstoke is noted for precision instruments.
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Wildland fire is not a precision instrument.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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a tool for cutting metal
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a carpenter's tools
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A good tool kit should contain pliers, screwdrivers, and wire-cutters.
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All my gardening tools had been stolen from the shed.
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Dance and aerobics classes are a useful tool for encouraging girls back to school P.E. lessons.
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He couldn't finish repairing the engine because he didn't have the right tools.
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He took a spanner from his tool box and tightened up the bolts on the gate.
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Interest rates are one of the Finance Minister's main tools of economic policy.
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Pictures of fleeing refugees were used as an effective propaganda tool against the Communists.
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The Internet has been an effective tool for advertising.
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The king was merely a tool of the military regime.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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At first, options were distrusted by many as risky, esoteric investment tools.
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Inspection sites are dirty and may be cluttered with tools, materials, or debris.
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The elements of a nutrition program plan provide the manager with the tools to anticipate results and conduct ongoing evaluation.
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These plans were an invaluable tool which increased the accuracy and the efficiency of the project.
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Using the computer environment as our tool we can process and reshape all kinds of information swiftly and perfectly.
II. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
up
▪
Get tooled up with baseball bats and go smash some windows in some club.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
not the sharpest tool in the box/shed
precision tool/instrument
▪
A precision instrument whose chief virtues were useless to anyone in this age.
▪
Basingstoke is noted for precision instruments.
▪
Wildland fire is not a precision instrument.