gear

American  

[geer] / gɪər /

noun

• gears
  plural

1. Machinery.

   1. a part, as a disk, wheel, or section of a shaft, having cut teeth of such form, size, and spacing that they mesh with teeth in another part to transmit or receive force and motion.

   2. an assembly of such parts.

   3. one of several possible arrangements of such parts in a mechanism, as an automobile transmission, for affording different relations of torque and speed between the driving and the driven machinery, or for permitting the driven machinery to run in either direction.

      first gear;

      reverse gear.

   4. a mechanism or group of parts performing one function or serving one purpose in a complex machine.

      steering gear.

2. implements, tools, or apparatus, especially as used for a particular occupation or activity; paraphernalia.

   fishing gear.

   Synonyms:

   rig, tackle, outfit, equipment

3. a harness, especially of horses.

4. Nautical.

   1. the lines, tackles, etc., of a particular sail or spar.

   2. the personal tools, clothing, and other possessions of a sailor.

5. portable items of personal property, including clothing; possessions.

   The campers keep all their gear in footlockers.

6. wearing apparel; clothing.

   The fashion pages of the Sunday paper are featuring the latest fall gear.

7. armor or arms.

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verb (used with object)

• gears,
  present (3rd person singular)
• geared,
  past participle,  past
• gearing
  present participle

1. to provide with or connect by gearing.

2. to put in or into gear.

3. to provide with gear; supply; equip.

4. to prepare, adjust, or adapt to a particular situation, person, etc., in order to bring about satisfactory results.

   The producers geared their output to seasonal demands.

verb (used without object)

• gears,
  present (3rd person singular)
• geared,
  past participle,  past
• gearing
  present participle

1. to fit exactly, as one part of gearing into another; come into or be in gear.

adjective

1. Slang. great; wonderful.

verb phrase

1. gear up

   1. to make or get ready for a future event or situation.

      Insiders say the senator is gearing up to run for governor.

   2. to get or put on equipment or clothing for a particular purpose.

      The hikers geared up for the long trek down the mountain.

   3. to arouse or excite, as with enthusiasm or expectation.

      The employees were geared up for a hard battle with management over working hours.

2. gear down

   1. Automotive. to shift the transmission of a vehicle to a lower gear.

      The truck driver geared down at the top of the hill.

   2. to reduce in scope or intensity.

      With less income you'll have to gear down your spending habits.

idioms

1. in / into high gear, in or into a state of utmost speed, activity, or efficiency: null ininto top gear

   With cold and flu season in high gear, it's time to perfect your chicken soup recipe.

   Military rearmament moved into high gear.

2. shift / switch gears, to change one's attitude, course of action, methods, etc., in an abrupt, dramatic, or unexpected manner.

   In the middle of the second act the play shifts gears from comedy to tragedy.

3. out of gear, in the state in which gears are not connected or meshed.

   The engine is out of gear.

4. in gear,

   1. Machinery. in the state in which gears are connected or meshed.

      The car is in gear.

   2. in proper or active working order; functioning continuously without trouble.

      Every department in this company must be in gear at all times.

gear British  

/ ɡɪə /

noun

1. a toothed wheel that engages with another toothed wheel or with a rack in order to change the speed or direction of transmitted motion

2. a mechanism for transmitting motion by gears, esp for a specific purpose

   the steering gear of a boat

3. the engagement or specific ratio of a system of gears

   in gear

   high gear

4. personal equipment and accoutrements; belongings

5. equipment and supplies for a particular operation, sport, etc

   fishing gear

6. nautical all equipment or appurtenances belonging to a certain vessel, sailor, etc

7. short for landing gear

8. informal up-to-date clothes and accessories, esp those bought by young people

9. slang

   1. stolen goods

   2. illegal drugs

10. a less common word for harness

11. working or performing effectively or properly

12. out of order; not functioning properly

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verb

1. (tr) to adjust or adapt (one thing) so as to fit in or work with another

   to gear our output to current demand

2. (tr) to equip with or connect by gears

3. (intr) to be in or come into gear

4. (tr) to equip with harness

gear Scientific  

/ gîr /

1. A wheel with teeth around its rim that mesh with the teeth of another wheel to transmit motion. Gears are used to transmit power (as in a car transmission) or change the direction of motion in a mechanism (as in a differential axle). Fixed ratios of speed in various parts of a machine is often established by the arrangement of gears.

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gear More Idioms  

1. see high gear; slip a cog (gear).

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• regear
  verb
• gearless
  adjective
• ungeared
  adjective
• well-geared
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• gears
  plural

Participles

• gearing
  present
• geared
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• gear
  simple
• gears
  simple
• have geared
  perfect
• has geared
  perfect
• am gearing
  progressive
• are gearing
  progressive
• is gearing
  progressive
• have been gearing
  perfect progressive
• has been gearing
  perfect progressive

Past

• geared
  simple
• had geared
  perfect
• was gearing
  progressive
• were gearing
  progressive
• had been gearing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will gear
  simple
• will have geared
  perfect
• will be gearing
  progressive
• will have been gearing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of gear

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English gere, from Old Norse gervi, gørvi; akin to Old English gearwe “equipment”

Explanation

The noun gear refers to several things. First, it’s the equipment we need for a sport or event. A gear is also a wheel with teeth that interlocks with another gear to transmit motion in a machine. The background of gear as "equipment" dates back to around 1200 and comes from the Old Norse gervi, "apparel." The word gear in machinery became common in the early 19th century, although there is evidence that the word came to mean "toothed wheel" as early as 1520. Gear entered English slang around 1951, meaning something stylish. This use was popularized in the 1960s, under the influence of British pop music.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gear gears geared gearing

An existing bill offering tax rebates on fiber-optic equipment was hastily rewritten to provide tax breaks on data center gear.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026

That makes the story of Nothing, a start-up maker of phones and audio gear, all the more surprising.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

Prices of corporate bonds linked to AI are falling as tech companies gear up to raise more debt to grow their computing infrastructure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Dick’s on Tuesday said sales at its namesake stores remained strong, with sports gear outside of sneakers helping deliver a 4.9% same-store sales gain, and also said it was confident in Foot Locker’s long-term potential.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

Cat hoped Mom’s maybe would turn into yes, so she packed the fishing gear and waited on the deck.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

The record is likely to boost the prime minister's image as Italy, which has had almost 70 governments over the past 80 years, gears up for a national vote in 2027, analysts say.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

I realize that’s a heavy way to wrap up the week, so let’s shift gears.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

After “Trenchtown,” the record shifts gears into the slower and more serious “Burnin’ and Lootin’.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Or if you’re doing well in your career but taking time to shift gears, then you can bet on your future self.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

I didn’t know how they could change gears like this.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi

"Selective pressure is much lower at advanced ages, particularly in rotifers which are really geared to do most of their living and reproducing very young," she said.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026

Offerings geared toward wellness and the ongoing protein trend have done well, she said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

Domino’s Pizza this month will introduce a rectangular pie geared toward individual orders, Heather Haddon reports exclusively for The Wall Street Journal this morning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Soon she was being served videos not just about being super-thin, but also geared toward “embracing my divine femininity” and “my natural role.”

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

When there was a novel approach in the classroom, it was geared for a generation indisputably weaned on the fast foods of television and the VCR, not the written word.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Tesla investors are gearing up for the company’s cybercab launch event, with experts split over whether it will be a huge deal or merely symbolic.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

Investors are gearing up for the release of key data on jobs and inflation over the next week that could determine whether the Federal Reserve hikes rates at its next meeting in two weeks.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

"I still think in my muscle memory I'm gearing up for filming again and just waiting for the scripts," she says.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

It was a slow, late-summer session for Wall Street—the third-lightest trading volume day of 2026—with many gearing up for Nvidia’s report due after the closing bell.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

The problem for Kepler was that circles, eccentrics and epicycles were geometrical constructions; there was no evidence that any such gearing existed in the heavens.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• accessory
• apparatus
• harness
• instrument
• kit
• luggage
• machinery
• material
• paraphernalia
• stuff
• supply