Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. US milit.) to re-enlist, to join up again.

1906		C. M’Govern ‘Soldier Sl.’ in Sarjint Larry an’ Frinds.
1918		L.N. Smith Lingo of No Man’s Land 68: RE-UP Re-enlist.
c.1943		‘Bill O. Lading’ You Chirped a Chinful!! n.p.: Re-Up: Re-enlist.
1966		W. Wilson LBJ Brigade (1967) 75: I can always walk away from it. I don’t gotta re-up.
1972		B. Adler Vietnam Letters (2003) 20 Sept. 158: Two kids have even reupped to be back.
1984		(con. 1964–73) W. Terry Bloods (1985) 18: I got busted one rank and fined $25. That was just another nail in the coffin to keep me from reuping.
1990		S. Morgan Homeboy 322: There ought to be a way they [i.e. convicts] could just reup, like in the service.
2002		G. Pelecanos Hell to Pay 110: Do I re-up with the yellow Pages or do I go back heavy on those full-page ads in the Washington Post?
2010		(con. 1973) C. Stella Johnny Porno 107: I need to re-up at the gym this week.
2021		T. Pluck Boy from County Hell 58: He counted the days like everyone else, but re-upped when he got the letter that his father was gone.

2. (US drugs) to replenish one’s stocks of a drug.

1970		G. Cain Blueschild Baby 18: ‘Feel like hanging out?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘Good, you can go uptown to re-up with me’.
1975		Sepe & Telano Cop Team 177: He told me he’ll be straight for later on [...] He’s got to go and re-up.
1989		(con. 1982–6) T. Williams Cocaine Kids (1990) 38: Splib [...] thinks he’s gonna re-up on my stuff when he gets the money he says is owed him in the street.
1997		Simon & Burns Corner (1998) 50: She [...] watches as the touts sell out, then re-up, then sell out again.
2003		A.N. LeBlanc Random Family 125: One of Cesar’s friends hid his stash at Giselle’s mother’s, and Cesar tagged along whenever he went to re-up.
2010		Codella and Bennett Alphaville (2011) 224: Guys called runners kept their dealers supplied or ‘re-upped’.
2014		Grizzle ‘Mandem Salute’ 🎵 If we need to re-up then we skr through lanes in that hoopty.

3. (US drugs) to take another dose of a drug.

1995		J. Stahl Permanent Midnight 263: Just so I could get out of the fucking house and reup again before scooting back.
1997		L. Pettiway Workin’ It 189: You ready to re-up. You ready for another blast, man. You ready to go again.

4. to replenish one’s energy.

1995

J. Stahl Permanent Midnight 55: We stumbled out at lunchtime to reup and grab a slab of grease.

5. to reacquaint with.

2018

W. Kramer Hard Stuff 206: I re-upped with John Sinclair, and [...] any bad blood between us was forgiven and forgotten.