Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

gear

Syllabification: (gear)
Pronunciation: /gi(ə)r/

Translate gear | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of gear

noun

  • 1 (often gears) one of a set of toothed wheels that work together to alter the relation between the speed of a driving mechanism (such as the engine of a vehicle or the crank of a bicycle) and the speed of the driven parts (the wheels).
  • a particular function or state of adjustment of engaged gears:he was tooling along in fifth gear
  • used in reference to the level of effort or intensity expended in an activity or undertaking:from this weekend, the campaign is expected to step up a gear now the champions moved up a gear the play moves down a gear whenever he walks off stage
  • 2 informal equipment that is used for a particular purpose.
  • a person’s personal possessions and clothes.
  • clothing, especially of a specified kind:designer gear
  • Nautical a ship’s rigging.

verb

[with object]
  • design or adjust the gears in (a machine) to give a specified speed or power output:it’s geared too high for serious off-road use
  • (gear something to) adjust or adapt something to suit a special purpose or need.

Phrases

change (or switch or shift) gears

adopt a different approach to a situation or task:we have to be prepared to shift gears when things create problems for the government

in gear

with a gear engaged:the captain revved the engines and put them in gear
proceeding with energy, determination, or speed:I couldn’t get myself into gear early enough on Saturday morning

Phrasal Verbs

gear down (or up)

change to a lower (or higher) gear.

gear for

make ready or prepared:a nation geared for war

gear up

equip or prepare oneself:the region started to gear up for the tourist season

Origin:

Middle English: of Scandinavian origin; compare with Old Norse gervi. Early senses expressed the general meaning 'equipment or apparatus', later 'mechanism': hence gear (sense 1 of the noun) (early 19th century)

gear in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of gear in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

  |  Cite

More words in this category

Word of the day

secretagogue

/ siˈkrētəˌgôg /
noun
a substance that promotes secretion …