high gear

noun

1

: high sense 3b

2

: a state of intense or maximum activity

—usually used with into or in

a project in high gear

Examples of high gear in a Sentence

She shifted the car into high gear.

Recent Examples on the Web

As the wall-building efforts have shifted into high gear this year along the roughly 2,000-mile border, opposition has spiked as well. — ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026

As PennDOT continues its major projects on the Parkway East and the Wexford interchange of I-79, another is kicking into high gear. — John Shumway, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026

Aware that the scarce Patriot missile is the main weapon capable of effectively and consistently intercepting Russian ballistic missiles, the Kremlin has put its own missile production into high gear to try to exploit Kyiv’s shortages. — Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Aug. 2026

Kamin Science Center has put Pittsburgh’s newest indoor racetrack into high gear with Science of Speed, a permanent motorsports exhibit that combines kart racing, simulators and STEM education. — Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for high gear

• adhere
• ameer
• amir
• appear
• arrear
• astir
• austere
• career
• cashier
• cohere
• compere
• emir