gear up

verb

geared up; gearing up; gears up

intransitive verb

: to get ready

are gearing up for the big game

Examples of gear up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These political ads offer one indication of where each party sees its momentum going with voters, as candidates across the country gear up for the general election in November. — Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 17 July 2026

Sweltering summer temps are still underway but some are already gearing up for changing leaves, layered sweaters and yes, pumpkin spice lattes. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 16 July 2026

But at the same time, renter advocacy groups were already gearing up to fight the more landlord-friendly ordinance. — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 16 July 2026

Cruise, meanwhile, is gearing up for the release of his next film, Digger. — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gear up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup