{
    "term": "tool",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "a2",
    "image": "data/images/to/tools_diy_2.png",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "an instrument such as a hammer, screwdriver, saw, etc. that you hold in your hand and use for making things, repairing things, etc.",
            "cefr": "a2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "garden tools"
                },
                {
                    "text": "a cutting tool"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Always select the right tool for the job."
                },
                {
                    "text": "craftsmen using traditional tools"
                },
                {
                    "text": "a set of tools"
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["general-purpose", "multi-purpose", "basic"],
                "… of tools": ["set"],
                "verb + tool": ["use", "sharpen", "down tools"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "a thing that helps you to do your job or to achieve something",
            "cefr": "a2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "research tools like questionnaires"
                },
                {
                    "text": "a marketing/management tool"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The internet can be a **powerful** teaching **tool**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a **useful/valuable tool**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Some of them carried the guns which were **the tools of their trade** *(= the things they needed to do their job)*."
                },
                {
                    "text": "the effectiveness of interest rates as an economic tool"
                },
                {
                    "text": "An email newsletter can be a very effective communication tool."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They need to use all the tools at their disposal."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The internet has become a vital tool for many artists."
                },
                {
                    "text": "This dictionary is a great reference tool for advanced learners."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We must ensure that education is not used as a political tool."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a valuable diagnostic tool for physicians"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Technology provides tools to enhance teaching."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They are developing new software tools."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["new", "effective", "essential"],
                "verb + tool": ["become", "develop", "provide"],
                "phrases": ["the tools of the/​somebody’s trade"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "a person who is used or controlled by another person or group",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The prime minister was an unwitting tool of the president."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "a penis",
            "labels": "(taboo, slang)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to stop work; to go on strike",
            "labels": "(British English)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "not intelligent",
            "labels": "(informal, humorous)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He's not exactly the sharpest tool in the box, is he?"
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/tuːl/",
                "audio": "to/tool/tool__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/tuːl/",
                "audio": "to/tool/tool__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Old English tōl, from a Germanic base meaning ‘prepare’. The verb dates from the early 19th cent."
}