Tool vs. Equipment — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on October 27, 2023
Tool is a device held and used by hand for a specific task. Equipment is a set of tools or other items used for a particular purpose.
Difference Between Tool and Equipment
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A tool is typically a handheld device that aids in accomplishing a specific task, often requiring manual operation. Equipment, on the other hand, encompasses a broader range of items, which may include tools, machinery, and other apparatuses necessary for a specific activity or purpose.
Tools are generally singular items like hammers or screwdrivers, designed for specific tasks. In contrast, equipment refers to a collection of tools or machinery needed for a particular function or activity, such as construction equipment including bulldozers, cranes, and drills.
The usage of a tool often implies manual labor and individual use. Conversely, equipment can include larger, more complex systems that may require training or multiple people to operate, such as medical equipment in hospitals.
Durability and complexity also distinguish tools from equipment. Tools are often simpler and more durable, designed for repeated use in a specific task. Equipment can be more complex, often requiring maintenance and specialized knowledge for operation.
In terms of investment, tools are usually less expensive and are often bought individually. Equipment can represent a significant investment, often encompassing an entire system or set of tools necessary for a particular purpose.
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Comparison Chart
Usage
Often handheld and manually operated.
Can include large machinery or systems.
Complexity
Typically simpler, designed for specific tasks.
More complex, may require training.
Ownership
Usually owned individually.
Often owned by organizations or groups.
Durability
Designed for durability and repeated use.
May require regular maintenance.
Cost
Generally less expensive, bought individually.
Can be a significant investment, often bought in sets.
Compare with Definitions
Tool
A handheld device for performing a task.
She used a gardening tool to plant the flowers.
Equipment
A set of tools or devices for a specific use.
The camping equipment was packed and ready.
Tool
An instrument used in a profession.
The carpenter's most valued tool was his saw.
Equipment
Machinery or apparatuses needed for an activity.
The gym was filled with exercise equipment.
Tool
A device that aids in accomplishing a manual job.
She used a painting tool to create the mural.
Equipment
Collective tools or apparatuses used in a profession.
The fireman checked his equipment before heading out.
Tool
A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates back hundreds of millennia, have been observed using tools to make other tools.
Equipment
The necessary items for a particular task.
The laboratory's equipment was highly advanced.
Tool
A device or implement, especially one held in the hand, used to carry out a particular function
Gardening tools
Equipment
The act of equipping or the state of being equipped
Responsible for the rapid equipment of the troops.
Tool
A distinct design in the tooling of a book.
Equipment
Something with which a person, organization, or thing is equipped
The athletes keep their equipment in the locker room.
Tool
A man's penis.
Equipment
The rolling stock especially of a transportation system.
Tool
Impress a design on (leather, especially a leather book cover)
Volumes bound in green leather and tooled in gold
Equipment
The mental and emotional resources of an individual
Doesn't have the equipment to cope.
Tool
Equip or be equipped with tools for industrial production
The factory must be tooled to produce the models
They were tooling up for production
Equipment
The act of equipping, or the state of being equipped, as for a voyage or expedition.
Tool
Drive or ride in a casual or leisurely manner
Tooling around town in a pink Rolls-Royce
Equipment
Any items used in equipping something or someone, for example things needed for an expedition or voyage.
We need more gardening equipment if we want to properly landscape our yard, not just a rake and some gloves.
The sports shop sells different kits of famous clubs, and equipment from all kind of sports.
Tool
Dress (stone) with a chisel.
Equipment
The male genitalia.
Tool
A device, such as a saw, shovel, or drill, used to perform or facilitate manual or mechanical work.
Equipment
The act of equipping, or the state of being equipped, as for a voyage or expedition.
The equipment of the fleet was hastened by De Witt.
Tool
A machine, such as a lathe, used to cut and shape machine parts or other objects.
Equipment
Whatever is used in equipping; necessaries for an expedition or voyage; the collective designation for the articles comprising an outfit; equipage; as, a railroad equipment (locomotives, cars, etc. ; for carrying on business); horse equipments; infantry equipments; naval equipments; laboratory equipments.
Armed and dight,In the equipments of a knight.
Tool
The cutting part of such a machine.
Equipment
An instrumentality needed for an undertaking or to perform a service
Tool
Something regarded as necessary to the carrying out of one's occupation or profession
Words are the tools of our trade.
Equipment
Items necessary for a particular purpose.
His photography equipment was state-of-the-art.
Tool
Something used in the performance of an operation; an instrument
"Modern democracies have the fiscal and monetary tools ... to end chronic slumps and galloping inflations" (Paul A. Samuelson).
Tool
Vulgar Slang The penis.
Tool
A person used to carry out the designs of another; a dupe.
Tool
A bookbinder's hand stamp.
Tool
A design impressed on a book cover by such a stamp.
Tool
(Computers) A utility program.
Tool
To form, work, or decorate with a tool.
Tool
To ornament (a book cover) with a bookbinder's tool.
Tool
(Slang) To drive (a vehicle)
Tooled the car at 80 miles an hour.
Tool
To work with a tool.
Tool
(Slang) To drive or ride in a vehicle
Tooled up and down the roads.
Tool
A mechanical device intended to make a task easier.
Hand me that tool, would you?
I don't have the right tools to start fiddling around with the engine.
Tool
Any piece of equipment used in a profession, e.g. a craftman's tools.
Tool
Something to perform an operation; an instrument; a means.
Tool
(computing) 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.
A tool for recovering deleted files from a disk
Tool
A person or group which is used or controlled, usually unwittingly, by another person or group.
He was a tool, no more than a pawn to her.
Tool
An obnoxious or uptight person.
He won't sell us tickets because it's 3:01, and they went off sale at 3. That guy's such a tool.
Tool
A penis, notably with a sexual or erotic connotation.
Tool
A gun.
Tool
(transitive) To work on or shape with tools, e.g., hand-tooled leather.
Tool
(transitive) To equip with tools.
Tool
(intransitive) To work very hard.
Tool
To put down another person (possibly in a subtle, hidden way), and in that way to use him or her to meet a goal.
Dude, he's not your friend. He's just tooling you.
Tool
To intentionally attack the ball so that it deflects off a blocker out of bounds.
Tool
To drive (a coach or other vehicle).
Tool
To carry or convey in a coach or other vehicle.
Tool
To travel in a vehicle; to ride or drive.
Tool
An instrument such as a hammer, saw, plane, file, and the like, used in the manual arts, to facilitate mechanical operations; any instrument used by a craftsman or laborer at his work; an implement; as, the tools of a joiner, smith, shoe-maker, etc.; also, a cutter, chisel, or other part of an instrument or machine that dresses work.
Tool
A machine for cutting or shaping materials; - also called machine tool.
Tool
Hence, any instrument of use or service.
That angry fool . . . Whipping her horse, did with his smarting toolOft whip her dainty self.
Tool
A weapon.
Him that is aghast of every tool.
Tool
A person used as an instrument by another person; - a word of reproach; as, men of intrigue have their tools, by whose agency they accomplish their purposes.
I was not made for a minion or a tool.
Tool
To shape, form, or finish with a tool.
Tool
To drive, as a coach.
Tool
To travel in a vehicle; to ride or drive.
Boys on their bicycles tooling along the well-kept roads.
Tool
An implement used in the practice of a vocation
Tool
The means whereby some act is accomplished;
My greed was the instrument of my destruction
Science has given us new tools to fight disease
Tool
A person who is controlled by others and is used to perform unpleasant or dishonest tasks for someone else
Tool
Obscene terms for penis
Tool
Drive;
The convertible tooled down the street
Tool
Ride in a car with no particular goal and just for the pleasure of it;
We tooled down the street
Tool
Furnish with tools
Tool
Work with a tool
Tool
An implement used to carry out a function.
He picked up a tool to tighten the bolts.
Tool
An object used to achieve an outcome.
The chef considered her knife an essential tool.
Common Curiosities
Is a tool always handheld?
Most tools are handheld, but some can be larger.
Is equipment more expensive than tools?
Generally, equipment is more costly due to its complexity.
Do you need special training to use equipment?
Some equipment requires training due to its complexity.
Is equipment only used for professional purposes?
No, equipment can be for professional or personal use.
Do tools require maintenance?
Tools require basic care, but less than complex equipment.
Can equipment include tools?
Yes, equipment often includes a set of tools.
Are tools always mechanical?
Tools can be mechanical or simple implements.
Can a single item be both a tool and equipment?
Yes, in some contexts, an item can be both.
Does equipment always include technology?
Not always, but it often involves some technical aspect.
Are tools used for construction only?
No, tools are used in various tasks and professions.
Is protective gear considered equipment?
Yes, protective gear is a type of safety equipment.
Can equipment be rented?
Yes, equipment is often rented for temporary use.
Can tools be part of a hobby?
Absolutely, tools are used in many hobbies.
Are tools usually manually operated?
Many tools are manual, but some can be power-operated.
Is a computer considered equipment?
Yes, a computer is often considered office equipment.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
