tool use means The ability of an LLM to call external functions (search, code execution, databases) mid-conversation. It's mostly used in casual online conversation. It's casual and generally safe with friends and online. It's standard online vocabulary; nothing inherently concerning about hearing it.
tool use
The ability of an LLM to call external functions (search, code execution, databases) mid-conversation.
tuːl juːsCoined ~20232020sGen AlphatrendingCurrent518 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
Seen in the wild
3 citations · last seen May 2026
Etymology timeline
Born ~2023 · 1 year of recorded useSeen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
The hallucination problem would be a stronger argument if LLMs weren't already capable of doing lots of useful tasks despite it. Tool use means agents aren't relying on training data alone.
View source
BlueskyMay 2026
LLM applications are noisy by default. Non-determinism, open-ended inputs, and multi-step tool use create a flood of traces that all look “fine” — until something breaks. The difference between noise and signal is an…
View source
BlueskyMay 2026
🧵 3/3 If you've wondered how agents go from "hello world" to production-grade tool use, this is for you. More info at cloudsummit.eu/en/session?g... 📍Room V, 06/05/2026, 15:20 PM See you there! 😎
View source
Wikipedia: Tool use by non-humans
Originally thought to be a skill possessed only by humans, some tool use requires a sophisticated level of cognition.
View source
Wikipedia: Tool use by non-humans
Tool use by non-humans is a phenomenon in which a non-human animal uses any kind of tool in order to achieve a goal such as acquiring food and water, grooming, combat, defence, communication, recreation, or construction.
View source
Definitions
US-TECH
+823100%
#1·Apr 23, 2026US-TECH
The ability of an LLM to call external functions (search, code execution, databases) mid-conversation. The building block of agentic systems.
"The agent's tool use includes shell, file edit, and a web browser."
Origin: Tech / AI / developer industry term.
For parents
tool use means The ability of an LLM to call external functions (search, code execution, databases) mid-conversation. It's mostly used in casual online conversation. It's casual and generally safe with friends and online. It's standard online vocabulary; nothing inherently concerning about hearing it.
For ESL learners
"tool use" is slang. It means: The ability of an LLM to call external functions (search, code execution, databases) mid-conversation. Register: casual. Use it in: casual conversation and online posts. Avoid in: formal writing and professional emails.
Cluster: technology
Heard in the wild
“The hallucination problem would be a stronger argument if LLMs weren't already capable of doing lots of useful tasks despite it. Tool use means agents aren't relying on training data alone.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“LLM applications are noisy by default. Non-determinism, open-ended inputs, and multi-step tool use create a flood of traces that all look “fine” — until something breaks. The difference between noise and signal is annotation.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“🧵 3/3 If you've wondered how agents go from "hello world" to production-grade tool use, this is for you. More info at cloudsummit.eu/en/session?g... 📍Room V, 06/05/2026, 15:20 PM See you there! 😎”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Originally thought to be a skill possessed only by humans, some tool use requires a sophisticated level of cognition.”
“Tool use by non-humans is a phenomenon in which a non-human animal uses any kind of tool in order to achieve a goal such as acquiring food and water, grooming, combat, defence, communication, recreation, or construction.”
Was this helpful?
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
US-TECH
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "tool use".
⚡About Tech, Dev & AI slang
The vocabulary of software engineers, AI researchers, and anyone living in a terminal or on GitHub — from LLM to MCP, CORS to vibe coding, agentic to enshittification.
See all Tech, Dev & AI slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "tool use" (T)
tool aroundtoolbagtool callingtoolietoolkittoo long; didn't readtoom-handedtoo much informationToontoon forcetoonietooraloo
Browse all slang words starting with T.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- tool calling84%
The mechanism by which an LLM decides to call an external function — search, code execution, database query — in the middle of a response. The core primitive of agentic systems. Tool-calling quality is where Claude has pulled ahead for agents.
- prompt engineering81%
The craft of writing inputs to LLMs to reliably produce the output you want. Includes role-setting, few-shot examples, chain-of-thought, and careful phrasing.
- Claude Code75%
Anthropic's CLI that turns Claude into an agentic pair-programmer with filesystem, shell, and web access. Central to the rise of agentic coding in 2025.
- copilot74%
An AI assistant embedded in a tool you already use — GitHub Copilot in your IDE, Microsoft Copilot in Office. The assistive, non-agentic cousin of modern AI agents.
- temperature74%
An LLM setting that controls randomness. Temperature 0 = deterministic, always pick the most likely next token. Higher values = more creative / less predictable.