"tool around" meaning in All languages combined

See tool around on Wiktionary

Verb [English]

Audio: En-au-tool around.ogg Forms: tools around [present, singular, third-person], tooling around [participle, present], tooled around [participle, past], tooled around [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} tool around (third-person singular simple present tools around, present participle tooling around, simple past and past participle tooled around)
  1. (transitive and intransitive, Canada, US) To drive or jaunt about, going from place to place without any specific direction or goal. Tags: Canada, US, intransitive, transitive
    Sense id: en-tool_around-en-verb-en:drive_or_jaunt_about_in_a_leisurely_way Categories (other): American English, Canadian English, English links with manual fragments
  2. (idiomatic) To spend one's time idly. Tags: idiomatic
    Sense id: en-tool_around-en-verb-en:spend_time_idly Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English phrasal verbs formed with "around", Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 9 91 Disambiguation of English phrasal verbs formed with "around": 12 88 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 5 95 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 8 92 Synonyms: fool around, arse about, arse around, bludge [Australia, New-Zealand, slang], bum around, cabbage [slang], clown around, dally, dawdle, dick about, dick around, diddle, dilly-dally, dretch [Scotland], drumble [obsolete], faff, faff about, faff around, fanny about, fanny around, fart about, fart around, fiddle about, fiddle around, fool about, fool around, footle, forslow, goof around, goof off, hang about, hang around, hang out, horse around, idle, jerk off [vulgar], lallygag, lamp [slang], laze, laze about, laze around, linger, loaf, loaf about, loaf around, loiter, lollop, lollygag, mess around, mill about, mill around, muck about, muck around, piddle, pingle [Britain, dialectal], stand by, tarry, tool around, waste time, while

Inflected forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tools around",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tooling around",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tooled around",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tooled around",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "tool around (third-person singular simple present tools around, present participle tooling around, simple past and past participle tooled around)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Canadian English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English links with manual fragments",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Near-synonym: cruise"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              74,
              88
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2001 April 26, “Pay-to-play space mission”, in Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, US, retrieved 2012-07-06:",
          "text": "It's like when you were in high school, hanging out with your friends and tooling around in your parents' jalopy.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              13,
              24
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2005 July 14, “Editorial: Talking heads”, in Toledo Blade, US, retrieved 2012-07-06:",
          "text": "Many drivers tool around town or take long drives with cell phone in hand, one eye on the road but their mind clearly someplace else.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              112,
              123
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2008 September 5, “Palin can't say no to jet this time”, in azcentral.com, US, retrieved 2012-07-06:",
          "text": "Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is known for selling the jet her predecessor as Alaska governor used to tool around the state. She now has one of her own.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To drive or jaunt about, going from place to place without any specific direction or goal."
      ],
      "id": "en-tool_around-en-verb-en:drive_or_jaunt_about_in_a_leisurely_way",
      "links": [
        [
          "Canada",
          "Canada"
        ],
        [
          "US",
          "American English"
        ],
        [
          "drive",
          "drive"
        ],
        [
          "jaunt",
          "jaunt"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive and intransitive, Canada, US) To drive or jaunt about, going from place to place without any specific direction or goal."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:drive or jaunt about in a leisurely way"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "US",
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "9 91",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "12 88",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs formed with \"around\"",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "5 95",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 92",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To spend one's time idly."
      ],
      "id": "en-tool_around-en-verb-en:spend_time_idly",
      "links": [
        [
          "idly",
          "idly"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To spend one's time idly."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:spend time idly"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "fool around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "arse about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "arse around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "tags": [
            "Australia",
            "New-Zealand",
            "slang"
          ],
          "word": "bludge"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "bum around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "tags": [
            "slang"
          ],
          "word": "cabbage"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "clown around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "dally"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "dawdle"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "dick about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "dick around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "diddle"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "dilly-dally"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "tags": [
            "Scotland"
          ],
          "word": "dretch"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "tags": [
            "obsolete"
          ],
          "word": "drumble"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "faff"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "faff about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "faff around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "fanny about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "fanny around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "fart about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "fart around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "fiddle about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "fiddle around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "fool about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "fool around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "footle"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "forslow"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "goof around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "goof off"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "hang about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "hang around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "hang out"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "horse around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "idle"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "tags": [
            "vulgar"
          ],
          "word": "jerk off"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "lallygag"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "tags": [
            "slang"
          ],
          "word": "lamp"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "laze"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "laze about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "laze around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "linger"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "loaf"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "loaf about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "loaf around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "loiter"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "lollop"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "lollygag"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "mess around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "mill about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "mill around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "muck about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "muck around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "piddle"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "tags": [
            "Britain",
            "dialectal"
          ],
          "word": "pingle"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "stand by"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "tarry"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "tool around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "waste time"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "while"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-tool around.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e6/En-au-tool_around.ogg/En-au-tool_around.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/En-au-tool_around.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "tool around"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English phrasal verbs",
    "English phrasal verbs formed with \"around\"",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tools around",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tooling around",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tooled around",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tooled around",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "tool around (third-person singular simple present tools around, present participle tooling around, simple past and past participle tooled around)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "Canadian English",
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English links with manual fragments",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Near-synonym: cruise"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              74,
              88
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2001 April 26, “Pay-to-play space mission”, in Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, US, retrieved 2012-07-06:",
          "text": "It's like when you were in high school, hanging out with your friends and tooling around in your parents' jalopy.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              13,
              24
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2005 July 14, “Editorial: Talking heads”, in Toledo Blade, US, retrieved 2012-07-06:",
          "text": "Many drivers tool around town or take long drives with cell phone in hand, one eye on the road but their mind clearly someplace else.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              112,
              123
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2008 September 5, “Palin can't say no to jet this time”, in azcentral.com, US, retrieved 2012-07-06:",
          "text": "Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is known for selling the jet her predecessor as Alaska governor used to tool around the state. She now has one of her own.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To drive or jaunt about, going from place to place without any specific direction or goal."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Canada",
          "Canada"
        ],
        [
          "US",
          "American English"
        ],
        [
          "drive",
          "drive"
        ],
        [
          "jaunt",
          "jaunt"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive and intransitive, Canada, US) To drive or jaunt about, going from place to place without any specific direction or goal."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:drive or jaunt about in a leisurely way"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "US",
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To spend one's time idly."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "idly",
          "idly"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To spend one's time idly."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:spend time idly"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "fool around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "arse about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "arse around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "tags": [
            "Australia",
            "New-Zealand",
            "slang"
          ],
          "word": "bludge"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "bum around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "tags": [
            "slang"
          ],
          "word": "cabbage"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "clown around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "dally"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "dawdle"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "dick about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "dick around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "diddle"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "dilly-dally"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "tags": [
            "Scotland"
          ],
          "word": "dretch"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "tags": [
            "obsolete"
          ],
          "word": "drumble"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "faff"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "faff about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "faff around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "fanny about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "fanny around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "fart about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "fart around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "fiddle about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "fiddle around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "fool about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "fool around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "footle"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "forslow"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "goof around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "goof off"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "hang about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "hang around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "hang out"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "horse around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "idle"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "tags": [
            "vulgar"
          ],
          "word": "jerk off"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "lallygag"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "tags": [
            "slang"
          ],
          "word": "lamp"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "laze"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "laze about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "laze around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "linger"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "loaf"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "loaf about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "loaf around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "loiter"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "lollop"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "lollygag"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "mess around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "mill about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "mill around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "muck about"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "muck around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "piddle"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "tags": [
            "Britain",
            "dialectal"
          ],
          "word": "pingle"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "stand by"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "tarry"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "tool around"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "waste time"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:loiter",
          "word": "while"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-tool around.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e6/En-au-tool_around.ogg/En-au-tool_around.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/En-au-tool_around.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "tool around"
}

Download raw JSONL data for tool around meaning in All languages combined (6.1kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-05-27 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-05-20 using wiktextract (a4e883e and f1c2b61). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.