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tool up

C1 neutral separable both
In simple words

To get all the right equipment or weapons ready for a job or fight.

Literal meaning: To supply with tools, bringing them up to what is needed.

Meanings

1 C1 neutral

To equip a factory or production facility with the necessary machinery and tools for manufacturing.

"The company invested £5 million to tool up the new plant for electric vehicle production."

Grammar: separable
2 C1 idiomatic slang

(British slang) To arm oneself or a group with weapons, especially before a fight or criminal activity.

"The gang had tooled up before the confrontation with their rivals."

Grammar: separable
3 C1 idiomatic neutral

To equip oneself or a team with the necessary tools, skills, or resources for a task.

"Before starting the project, we need to tool ourselves up with the right software and training."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Has two distinct registers: a neutral manufacturing/industrial sense (tooling up a factory) and a British criminal slang sense (arming oneself before a confrontation). Context makes the meaning clear. The industrial sense is formal; the weapons sense is informal/slang.

Commonly used with

factory plant workforce gang production weapons

Forms

Base
tool up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
tools up
he/she/it
Past simple
tooled up
yesterday
Past participle
tooled up
have + pp
-ing form
tooling up
continuous

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