take up arms

transitive with against or for

(transitive with against or for) Prepare to fight; to arm oneself.

Japanese Meaning

武器を手に取り、戦う準備をする / 武装する

When the aggressors threatened the village, the villagers were forced to take up arms to defend their homes.

侵略者が村を脅かしたとき、村人たちは家を守るためにやむを得ず武装した。

Sense（1）

(transitive with against or for) Prepare to fight; to arm oneself.

takes up arms

（ present singular third-person ）

taking up arms

（ participle present ）

took up arms

（ past ）

taken up arms

（ participle past ）