1 C1 neutral
To put on medical gloves before performing a clinical procedure.
"The surgeon gloved up and approached the operating table."
glove up
C1 informal intransitive
To put on gloves in preparation for a task, fight, or procedure.
In plain English
To put your gloves on before you do something important, like a doctor before an operation or a boxer before a fight.
What does "glove up" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 informal
To put on boxing or sports gloves in preparation for fighting or training.
"Both fighters gloved up and waited for the bell."
3 C1 idiomatic informal
To prepare for a difficult or confrontational situation (figurative, informal).
"The lawyers gloved up for what promised to be a very aggressive cross-examination."
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To put gloves on (fully transparent).
Actually means
To put your gloves on before you do something important, like a doctor before an operation or a boxer before a fight.
Usage tip
Used in medical, sporting (especially boxing/MMA), and manual labour contexts. Can be used humorously to mean 'prepare for a confrontation'. More common in British English in medical settings.
Words that pair with "glove up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
surgeon boxer doctor nurse fighter worker
How to conjugate "glove up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
glove up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
gloves up
he/she/it
Past simple
gloved up
yesterday
Past participle
gloved up
have + pp
-ing form
gloving up
continuous
Hear "glove up" in the wild
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