crew up
C1 neutral inseparable both
In simple words
To get a team of workers together for a job, especially on a ship or film set.
Literal meaning: To gather a crew (group of workers) together — fairly transparent.
Meanings
1 C1 neutral
To assemble a crew of workers or team members for a specific task or project.
"They crewed up quickly for the documentary shoot, hiring a local sound engineer."
Grammar: inseparable
2 C1 neutral
To join an existing crew for a voyage, production, or project.
"She crewed up on a sailing yacht heading for the Caribbean."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
Used in maritime, film production, and military contexts. Can mean to assemble a crew (transitive) or to join a crew (intransitive). Less common in everyday speech outside these specialist domains.
Commonly used with
ship vessel production film expedition team
Forms
Base
crew up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
crews up
he/she/it
Past simple
crewed up
yesterday
Past participle
crewed up
have + pp
-ing form
crewing up
continuous
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Synonyms
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