retool

verb

re·​tool (ˌ)rē-ˈtül How to pronounce retool (audio)
retooled; retooling; retools

transitive verb

1
: to reequip with tools
2
3

intransitive verb

: to make especially minor changes or improvements
retool for the future

Examples of retool in a Sentence

The factory has been retooled. The company is retooling its sales strategies. The company is retooling for the future.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Given all the repairs and retooling required, the bye comes at a good time. Tim Graham, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025 For example, someone who feels directed toward teaching can use the epiphany to ditch their first career and retool to be an educator. Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 13 Oct. 2025 On June 2, 1944, Vultee produced its last Vengeance dive-bomber, before the plant was retooled to manufacture P-38 fighters. Stuart Dyos, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Oct. 2025 The Cinema Europa theater – known for hosting the first ever public film screening in Italy, Filoteo Alberini’s La Presa di Roma –was closed during the Covid-19 pandemic, but will be refurbished and retooled as a space for film culture, education and research. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for retool

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of retool was in 1917

Cite this Entry

“Retool.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retool. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

retool

verb
re·​tool (ˈ)rē-ˈtül How to pronounce retool (audio)
1
: to equip again with new or different tools
retool a factory
2
: to make changes or improvements to
retool that idea

More from Merriam-Webster on retool

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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