gear

noun \ ˈgir \

|Updated on: 15 Aug 2018

Examples: gear in a Sentence

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

Check your pets and outdoor gear for ticks after bringing them inside, too.

— kate sheridan, SELF, "Here’s Exactly What to Do if a Tick Bites You," 14 July 2018
To shop for a bargain on Apple gear, scroll to the bottom of a page on the Apple website and click the Refurbished and Clearance link.

— bob levitus, Houston Chronicle, "Pay less for your next Apple product," 13 July 2018
One team equipment manager says his club paid $6,100 for game uniforms and roughly $5,000 on player practice gear.

— jake fischer, SI.com, "The Economics of a Las Vegas Summer League Invite," 12 July 2018
With Bieber currently doubling down on sports gear and Baldwin keeping her fashion paparazzi-ready, the pair have displayed a curious mix of high and low during their recent outings.

— janelle okwodu, Vogue, "Hailey Baldwin and Justin Bieber Take Couples Style to the Next Level in Versace," 6 July 2018
The website for national outdoor-gear retailer Cabela’s Inc. features a section devoted to AR-15 parts and accessories, listing more than 190 items.

— Fortune, "Why Gunmakers Would Rather Sell AR-15s Than Handguns," 20 June 2018
The new homes include handmade cabinets, crown molding and closets with shoe racks providing ample room for year-round outdoor gear/clothing.

— david caraccio, sacbee, "New luxury homes under Heavenly Mountain Resort's gondola just went on the market," 7 June 2018
Small jig/plastic combinations, crankbaits and in-line spinners fished on ultra-light spinning gear will draw redbreast strikes.

— shannon tompkins staff writer, San Antonio Express-News, "June spawn signals peak in Texas sunfish action," 7 June 2018
Stepping in for the injured starter, Lopez has quietly guided Padres pitchers to a 2.99 ERA during his 144-plus innings behind the plate, the lowest among the three catchers who’ve strapped on San Diego gear this year.

— jeff sanders, sandiegouniontribune.com, "With Padres, Raffy Lopez continuing to catch on," 30 May 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

geared; gearing; gears

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

The event is geared toward entrepreneurs and experienced small business owners hoping to learn more about assistance and loans available to help start or grow small businesses or farms.

— ileana najarro, Houston Chronicle, "SBA Houston office hosts free rural small business roundtable," 11 July 2018
The program is geared toward girls who might be having discipline trouble in school, but had the potential to do better and be leaders, Calice said.

— sarah freishtat, Aurora Beacon-News, "Aurora mentoring program aims to help girls build leadership," 7 July 2018
The School of Hire Education is geared toward helping students ages 18 through 22 learn job skills and start on a career path.

— krislyn placide, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Graduation ceremony honors Arc Broward students," 21 June 2018
The awards are geared toward athletic achievement, but almost every winner over the years has exhibited impressive credentials both in and out of their athletic, academic and personal areas.

— kyle neddenriep, Indianapolis Star, "2018 City and County Athletes of the Year," 30 May 2018
But the rhetoric surrounding his coronation was geared to ratchet up enthusiasm for the governor, who is dealing with an unexpectedly prickly challenge from the left from Cynthia Nixon.

— New York Times, "Cuomo Is Clear Choice of Convention Democrats and Hillary Clinton," 23 May 2018
Yes, okay, but this one is geared toward you, a person who does not care.

— kelly conaboy, The Cut, "A Royal Wedding Guide for the Apathetic But Curious," 16 May 2018
LitUp Festival: Books and Art for the Next Generation 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 12, at Mid-Continent Public Library-North Independence Branch This literary event is geared for teens, but adults also are welcome.

— dan kelly, kansascity, "KC events May 10-16: NASCAR racing, Royals, Tiffany Haddish, Trevor Noah, ‘Peter Pan’ | The Kansas City Star," 8 May 2018
Verne's writing has been criticized as being too geared toward children,but Evans said that the author's work has suffered from poor translations and editing.

— roger showley, sandiegouniontribune.com, "A JULES VERNE S.D. ADVENTURE," 23 Apr. 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