gear

noun \ ˈgir \

Updated on: 9 May 2018

Definition of gear

1 a : clothing, garments

b : movable property : goods

2 : equipment, paraphernalia

fishing gear

3 a : the rigging of a ship or boat

b : the harness especially of horses

4 dialectal, chiefly British : absurd talk : nonsense

5 dialectal, chiefly British : doings

6 a (1) : a mechanism that performs a specific function in a complete machine

steering gear

(2) : a toothed wheel

(3) : working relation, position, order, or adjustment

got her career in gear

(4) : a level or pace of functioning

kicked their performance into high gear

b : one of two or more adjustments of a transmission (as of a bicycle or motor vehicle) that determine mechanical advantage, relative speed, and direction of travel

—

gearless

play \-ləs\ adjective

See gear defined for English-language learners

See gear defined for kids

Examples of gear in a Sentence

I somehow managed to pack all my gear into one suitcase.
soldiers in full combat gear
a complicated arrangement of gears and shafts
a car with four forward gears
Halfway up the hill, my bike slipped out of gear.

Recent Examples of gear from the Web

Azizi-Yarand is said to have spent $1,400 on weapons and tactical gear for his alleged attack.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "Officials: Teen inspired by ISIS plotted mass shooting at Dallas-area mall," 2 May 2018
Volunteers are encouraged to dress in costumes or fan gear for a one-hour shift, where there will be sorting and packing jobs for adults and Padawans as young as 6, followed by games and activities.

— allison bagley, Houston Chronicle, "Feeding the Force on May the 4th," 2 May 2018
Police will buy the 229 panels through a cooperative purchase agreement with ProForce Law Enforcement, a California retail store specializing in guns and tactical gear for law enforcement agencies, police officers and first responders.

— nashelly chavez, sacbee, "Bullets pierced a police car door during a shootout. Now officers may get better protection | The Sacramento Bee," 1 May 2018
Current exhibits still showcase the family's athletic gear for golf, hockey, ice skating and horseback riding.

— jennifer conn, akron reporter, cleveland.com, "Stan Hywet season to feature 'Health & Wellness, A Life Well Lived'," 8 Apr. 2018
The two most robust contenders for the first Saturday in May dueled from break to backstretch, until Justify found a late gear for a 3-length win that looked a whole lot more like two.

— bryce miller, sandiegouniontribune.com, "El Cajon's Mick Ruis tripped at Santa Anita, but Kentucky Derby dream remains robustly alive," 7 Apr. 2018
Throw on some weather-appropriate gear and venture out for a hike, bike, run, wheel or stroll — no more excuses!

— ashleigh spitza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Colorful vegetarian menu crosses bridge to spring," 7 Apr. 2018
Certain schools qualify for special perks, such as buy-one, get-one-free uniforms or free gear for coaches and staff.

— joel odom, OregonLive.com, "Notre Dame vs. Mississippi State: TV channel, live stream, score updates for NCAA women's basketball championship," 1 Apr. 2018
Besides phones, Huawei and ZTE sell a variety of home networking products and more expensive network gear for businesses and carriers.

— jon brodkin, Ars Technica, "FCC says it will block Chinese technology to protect national security," 28 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gear.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of gear

Origin and Etymology of gear

Middle English gere, from Old Norse gervi, gǫrvi; akin to Old English gearwe equipment, clothing, gearu ready — more at yare

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

gear Synonyms

Synonyms

apparel, attire, clothes, clothing, dress, duds, garments, rags, raiment, rig, rigging, threads, toggery, togs, vestments, vesture, wear, wearables, weeds;

Related Words

wardrobe;

array, bravery, caparison, finery, gaiety (also gayety), glad rags, pretties, regalia, trim;

foofaraw, frippery;

tatters;

costume, ensemble, frock, garb, getup, guise, livery, outfit;

civvies (also civies), mufti;

couture, ready-to-wear, tailoring;

activewear, loungewear, outerwear, playwear, sportswear;

nightclothes, sleepwear, smallclothes, underclothes, underwear;

haberdashery, menswear;

gear

verb

Definition of gear

transitive verb

1 a : to provide (machinery) with gearing (see gearing 2)

b : to connect by gearing (see gearing 1)

2 a : to make ready for effective operation

b : to adjust so as to match, blend with, or satisfy something

gearing wages to productivity

intransitive verb

1 a British, of machinery : to be in gear : mesh

b : shift 1c

gear down

2 : to become adjusted so as to match, blend, or harmonize

The industry is geared to meet growing consumer demand.

See gear defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of gear from the Web

Kennywood, just outside Pittsburgh, celebrates its 120th anniversary this year with a major addition geared to its younger guests: Thomas Town, an area themed to popular book and television character Thomas the Tank Engine.

— cleveland.com, "Cedar Point's Steel Vengeance to Kennywood's Thomas Town: What's new at area amusement parks in 2018," 4 May 2018
The competition would be spread out between the three countries, although the U.S. would be the primary host, with initial plans geared to playing 60 out of 80 games here.

— martin rogers, USA TODAY, "President Trump threatens political repercussions over World Cup bid," 26 Apr. 2018
In addition to the on-the-track races, there are a number of special fan events geared to both children and adults.

— cheryl wray, AL.com, "Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama 2018 Fan Guide: Schedule, tickets, drivers, parking," 18 Apr. 2018
Pinker also has some ideas specifically geared to cognitive biases that surface in a tribal context.

— robert wright, WIRED, "Why Pure Reason Won’t End American Tribalism," 9 Apr. 2018
Theme park experts think the expansion will take over parts of a nearby employee parking lot and a portion, if not all, of A Bug's Land, a nearby area geared to young children and toddlers.

— hugo martin, latimes.com, "Disney's California Adventure expansion will feature Marvel superheroes. Just don't call it 'Marvel Land'," 6 Apr. 2018
In Washington, as in Austin, Bush’s real agenda was massive tax cuts geared to the rich.

— graham vyse, The New Republic, "‘Compassionate Conservatism’ Won’t Be Back Anytime Soon," 30 Mar. 2018
The program is sponsored by the Beagary Charitable Trust and is geared specifically to young students.

— denise coffey, Courant Community, "Exploring The Science Of Sound With Sally Rogers," 27 Mar. 2018
Anti-smoking advocates battled for decades against the tobacco industry’s cigarette-marketing strategy geared to young people.

— rachel bluth, Washington Post, "‘Peanut Butter Cup’ Vape: Is This Dessert Or An E-Cigarette Flavor?," 26 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of gear

derivative of ¹gear

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1851

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

GEAR Defined for English Language Learners

gear

noun

Definition of gear for English Language Learners

: supplies, tools, or clothes needed for a special purpose
: a toothed wheel in a machine
: a part that connects the engine of a vehicle or the pedals of a bicycle to the wheels and controls the speed at which the wheels turn

gear

verb

Definition of gear for English Language Learners

: to make (something) suitable for a particular use or type of person

GEAR Defined for Kids

gear

noun \ ˈgir \

Definition of gear for Students

1 : equipment

camping gear

2 : a group of parts that has a specific function in a machine

steering gear

3 : a toothed wheel : cogwheel

4 : the position the gears of a machine are in when they are ready to work

in gear

5 : one of the adjustments in a motor vehicle that determine the direction of travel and the relative speed between the engine and the motion of the vehicle