merc up
C1 slang separable transitive
In simple words
To get paid soldiers (not regular army) to fight for you.
Literal meaning: 'Merc' is short for mercenary; 'up' implies increasing or equipping. Together: fill up with mercenaries.
Meanings
1 C1
idiomatic
slang
To recruit or deploy mercenary fighters for a military operation or conflict.
"The warlord decided to merc up after losing a third of his regular troops."
Grammar: separable
2 C1
idiomatic
slang
(Gaming) To fill one's team with mercenary-class characters or hired units in a video game.
"We were losing badly, so we merced up our squad with high-level contractors before the final mission."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Highly informal slang, used mainly in military gaming culture, online forums, and informal discussions of private military contractors (PMCs). Rarely found in mainstream journalism.
Commonly used with
army squad mission force operation troops
Forms
Base
merc up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
mercs up
he/she/it
Past simple
merced up
yesterday
Past participle
merced up
have + pp
-ing form
mercing up
continuous
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Synonyms
hire mercenaries contract soldiers bring in PMCs staff up with contractors
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