Definition of 'gear'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense gears, present participle gearing, past tense, past participle geared
1. countable noun
2. uncountable noun
The gear involved in a particular activity is the equipment or special clothing that you use.
3. uncountable noun
Gear means clothing.
[informal]
4. passive verb
Phrasal verbs:
See gear up
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
gear in American English
noun
2.
3.
b. [often pl.]
c.
a specific adjustment of such a system
d.
any part of a mechanism performing a specific function
the steering gear
adjective
verb transitive
5.
to furnish with gear; harness
7. Mechanics
a.
to connect by gears
b.
to furnish with gears
c.
to put into gear
verb intransitive
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency
gear in American English
(ɡɪər)
noun
1. Machinery
a.
b.
an assembly of such parts
c.
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
d.
a mechanism or group of parts performing one function or serving one purpose in a complex machine
steering gear
2.
implements, tools, or apparatus, esp. as used for a particular occupation or activity; paraphernalia
fishing gear
3.
a harness, esp. of horses
4. Nautical
a.
the lines, tackles, etc., of a particular sail or spar
b.
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
8. See in gear
9. See in high gear
10. See out of gear
11. See shift gears
transitive verb
12.
to provide with or connect by gearing
13.
to put in or into gear
14.
to provide with gear; supply; equip
15.
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
intransitive verb
SYNONYMS 2. equipment, outfit, tackle, rig.16.
to fit exactly, as one part of gearing into another; come into or be in gear
17. See gear down
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
gearless adjective
Word origin
[1150–1200; ME gere ‹ ON gervi, gørvi; akin to OE gearwe equipment]Word Frequency
gear in British English
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
4.
personal equipment and accoutrements; belongings
5.
equipment and supplies for a particular operation, sport, etc
fishing gear
7. short for landing gear
11. See in gear
12. See out of gear
verb
13. (transitive)
to gear our output to current demand
15. (intransitive)
to be in or come into gear
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
gearless (ˈgearless) adjective
Word origin
C13: from Old Norse gervi; related to Old High German garawī equipment, Old English gearweWord Frequency
gear in Mechanical Engineering
(gɪər)
Word forms: (regular plural) gears
noun
(Mechanical engineering: Machinery and components)
bevel gear, gearing, helical gear, spur gear, worm gearA gear is a wheel with teeth that engage with the teeth of another wheel in order to change
the speed or direction of transmitted rotational motion.
Neutral is the position when no gears are engaged and the engine is decoupled from the vehicle's drive wheels.
The purpose of the gears is to allow the cyclist's legs to move at their optimum rate, no matter how fast
the bicycle wheels are moving.
A gear is a wheel with teeth that engage with the teeth of another wheel in order to change
the speed or direction of transmitted rotational motion.
Collins COBUILD Key Words for Mechanical Engineering. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Examples of 'gear' in a sentence
gear
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In other languages
gear
British English: gear
/ɡɪə/ NOUN
in car or on bicycle A gear is a piece of machinery, for example in a car or on a bicycle, which helps to control its movement.
The car was in fourth gear.
- American English: gear /ˈgɪər/ mechanism
- Arabic: تِرْس
- Brazilian Portuguese: engrenagem
- Chinese: 齿轮
- Croatian: uređaj
- Czech: převod ozubený
- Danish: gear
- Dutch: versnelling
- European Spanish: engranaje
- Finnish: vaihde mekanismi
- French: vitesse mécanisme
- German: Getriebe
- Greek: γρανάζι
- Italian: ingranaggio
- Japanese: ギア mechanism
- Korean: 기어
- Norwegian: gir
- Polish: bieg w samochodzie
- European Portuguese: engrenagem
- Romanian: viteză
- Russian: передача
- Spanish: engranaje
- Swedish: mekanism
- Thai: เฟือง, เกียร์
- Turkish: dişli
- Ukrainian: передача
- Vietnamese: bộ số
British English: gear
/ɡɪə/ NOUN
clothes and equipment The gear for a particular activity is the equipment and special clothes that you use.
...fishing gear.
- American English: gear /ˈgɪər/ equipment
- Arabic: جِهَاز
- Brazilian Portuguese: equipamento
- Chinese: 传动装置
- Croatian: oprema
- Czech: výstroj
- Danish: udstyr
- Dutch: uitrusting
- European Spanish: bártulos
- Finnish: varusteet
- French: matériel équipement
- German: Ausrüstung Kleidung, Sachen
- Greek: εξοπλισμός
- Italian: attrezzatura
- Japanese: 用具 equipment
- Korean: 용구
- Norwegian: utrustning
- Polish: ekwipunek
- European Portuguese: equipamento
- Romanian: echipament
- Russian: экипировка
- Spanish: equipo implementos
- Swedish: redskap
- Thai: อุปกรณ์, เสื้อผ้า
- Turkish: vites
- Ukrainian: облаштування
- Vietnamese: thiết bị
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