tool
noun [ C ]
uk/tuːl/ usa 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