gear

play

noun \ ˈgir \

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

Some other odds and ends to pack: sunscreen, bug spray, rain gear, lawn chairs or a blanket to sit on, and maybe a light jacket in case the temperature drop during totality brings a chill.

— catherine green, The Atlantic, "The Procrastinator’s Guide to Cosmic Marvel," 17 Aug. 2017
A former video game programmer, Karczewski switched gears and took up photography after programming became boring, his sister, Lynda Karczewski, said.

— michelle l. quinn, Post-Tribune, "Freelance photographer Karczewski dead at 45," 16 Aug. 2017
Black demonstrators protesting the murder of teen-agers are met with tanks and riot gear; white demonstrators protesting the unpopularity of Nazi and Confederate ideology are met with politesse.

— Longreads, "How We Got to Here: A Charlottesville Reading List," 15 Aug. 2017
The governor declared a state of emergency, and police dressed in riot gear ordered people out.

— Washington Post, "Officials: White nationalist rally linked to 3 deaths," 13 Aug. 2017
Fox is working on Rent, while NBC is prepping Jesus Christ Superstar, and is also switching genre gears for a live adaptation of the non-musical legal drama A Few Good Men.

— yohana desta, vanityfair.com, "Are Live TV Musicals More Trouble Than They’re Worth?," 4 Aug. 2017
A local company, Drones on Demand, has donated its time and camera gear to help in the search.

— rick montgomery, kansascity, "Horses missing after flood put Overland Park pasture 10 feet under water," 29 July 2017
Participants in Brazilian jiu-jitsu don't even have to wear protective head gear or gloves.

— frank vaisvilas, Daily Southtown, "Grappling tourney brings bit of Brazil to Oak Lawn," 28 July 2017
Here's the scoop on how to get your hands on the free — yes, free — gear.

— sophie hirsh, Teen Vogue, "McDonald's Is Giving Free Apparel to People Who Order Delivery," 20 July 2017

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

See Words from the same year

gear Synonyms

Synonyms

accoutrements (or accouterments), apparatus, equipment, hardware, kit [chiefly British], material (s), matériel (or materiel), outfit, paraphernalia, stuff, tackle

Related Words

accessories, appurtenances, attachments, fittings; baggage, belongings, impedimenta; appliances, facilities, instruments, machinery, tools; apparel, attire, habiliments, raiment, trappings; armamentarium, armory, arsenal, battery; assets, resources

Near Antonyms

immovables, real estate

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

Torbeck said the community has a significant number of events geared toward families, and this particular one offers something a bit different.

— forrest sellers, Cincinnati.com, "Delhi Township to host its first wine tasting event," 2 Aug. 2017
Already, a number of outside conservative groups are reportedly gearing up to launch primary challenges and attack ads against G.O.P. lawmakers who opposed the repeal effort.

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "After Trumpcare’s Collapse, Republicans Face a Brutal Reality," 19 July 2017
The camp, geared for boys and girls’ ages 10-17, attracted participants from Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena and Long Beach.

— charles rich, Burbank Leader, "Bellarmine-Jefferson Youth Basketball Camp gaining traction," 19 July 2017
Pre-production will begin this week in the U.K., and principal photography will gear up around mid-September in London, according to the band.

— rebecca keegan, vanityfair.com, "A Last Lesson from Martin Landau," 17 July 2017
In Season 7 (no episodes have been provided to critics), Cersei is now gearing up for rebellion on at least three different fronts, with only her family’s Lannister forces committed to protecting her.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "How Will the Game of Thrones Be Won?," 14 July 2017
And Delaware, the American state which has made a big business out of registering companies from all over the world, is gearing up to allow blockchains for corporate record-keeping.

— The Economist, "If blockchains ran the worldDisrupting the trust business," 13 July 2017
After the manure deaths, the Idaho Dairymen’s Association heard that OSHA was gearing up to put more resources into enforcement at Idaho dairies.

— audrey dutton, idahostatesman, "Two men died unthinkable deaths in manure ponds. Are we doing enough to protect farmworkers?," 11 July 2017
ESSENCE is set to premiere its first live talk show geared toward African-American women on Twitter today.

— christina coleman, Essence.com, "It's Here! 'ESSENCE Now' Talk Show Will Debut On Twitter Today," 11 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of gear

derivative of ¹gear

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1851

See Words from the same year

GEAR Defined for English Language Learners

gear

play

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

play

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

reverse gear

6 :working order or condition

He got his career in gear.

gear

verb

Definition of gear for Students

geared; gearing

1 :to make ready for operation

We need to gear up for production.

2 :to be or make suitable

The book is geared to children.

Learn More about gear

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for gear Spanish Central: Translation of gear Nglish: Translation of gear for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of gear for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gear

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gear Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

gear

Definition of gear

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Origin and Etymology of gear

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GEAR Defined for English Language Learners

gear

Definition of gear for English Language Learners

gear

Definition of gear for English Language Learners

GEAR Defined for Kids

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