retool
Americanverb (used with object)
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to replace or rearrange the tools and machinery of (a factory).
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to reorganize or rearrange, usually for the purpose of updating.
to retool the industrial organization.
verb (used without object)
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to replace or rearrange the tools of a factory.
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to replace the stamping machinery of a factory, especially to make a remodeled product.
verb
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to replace, re-equip, or rearrange the tools in (a factory, etc)
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to revise or reorganize
Other Word Forms
- retoolable adjective
Etymology
Origin of retool
Explanation
When you change something by reshaping or altering it, you retool it. A candidate who's doing badly in the polls might try to retool his image before the election. If an elementary school is getting dozens of new students, they may need to retool the classrooms to accommodate everyone. And, when new car models need to incorporate the latest safety features, engineers often have to retool their designs. Another way to use this verb is to mean "equip with new tools." You might, for example, retool your mom's basement workroom as a birthday present.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
An industry as hidebound as this one is going to need time to retool and figure out ways to address shifting consumer tastes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026
He continued that Canada can sustain an auto industry with the US tariffs provided the government and business community work to "reimagine" and "retool" the industry.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2025
The new district attorney is also expected to retool the office’s leadership structure by ousting some of Gascón’s closest handpicked advisors.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2024
They are now having to retool against Vice President Harris, who is truly a historic figure as the first Black and South Asian woman to be a major political party’s presidential nominee.
From Salon • Aug. 12, 2024
To produce a new invention, you'd have to retool an entire factory.
From The Status Civilization by Sheckley, Robert
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
