Synonyms

retool

American

[ree-tool] / riˈtul /

verb (used with object)

to replace or rearrange the tools and machinery of (a factory).
to reorganize or rearrange, usually for the purpose of updating.

to retool the industrial organization.

verb (used without object)

to replace or rearrange the tools of a factory.
to replace the stamping machinery of a factory, especially to make a remodeled product.

retool British

/ riːˈtuːl /

verb

to replace, re-equip, or rearrange the tools in (a factory, etc)
to revise or reorganize

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

retoolable adjective

Etymology

Origin of retool

First recorded in 1935–40; re- + tool

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.

But those payoffs only partially cover the financial hit, and don’t cover factory downtime while suppliers seek new business and retool plants.

From The Wall Street Journal

OpenAI, meanwhile, has indicated that it’s retooling, if not scrapping, Instant Checkout.

From Los Angeles Times

The retooled seat layouts are compressing the standard economy section and giving airlines a tiered system for collecting revenue that can adapt to different consumer behaviors, analysts said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Williams-Sonoma will continue to execute its mitigation strategies, she said, including engaging in vendor negotiations, moving sourcing, retooling supply chains and implementing select pricing actions.

From The Wall Street Journal

Enduring the longest cold spell of his career, Betts was forced to retool.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023