gear

noun
UK: /ɡɪər/
US: /ɡɪr/

  1. Equipment or clothing used for a particular activity.

    1. We bought some new camping gear for our trip in Yosemite. [ ] [ ]
    2. You'll need special safety gear if you plan to do any rock climbing on vacation. [ ] [ ]

  2. A toothed wheel that works with other wheels to change the speed of a vehicle or machine.

    1. The car was stuck in first gear, and I couldn't change it. [ ] [ ]
    2. He shifted the gears smoothly as he accelerated around the corner near the bank. [ ] [ ]

  3. The level of enthusiasm or intensity.

    1. The party really kicked into high gear around midnight on Friday. [ ] [ ]
    2. The project is finally in full gear, with everyone working hard on their tasks. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

equipment tackle cog mechanism apparatus clothes
gear transitive-verb

  1. To equip someone or something with gear.

    1. We need to gear up before the game to be ready. [ ] [ ]
    2. The soldiers were geared up with the latest weaponry before the big battle. [ ] [ ]

  2. To design or adjust something to be suitable for a specific purpose.

    1. The program is geared toward helping students understand basic math. [ ] [ ]
    2. The new marketing campaign is geared to attract a younger demographic to the brand. [ ] [ ]
gear adjective

  1. Relating to equipment or apparatus.

    1. The shop sells a lot of gear things, like backpacks. [ ] [ ]
    2. The gear change was a bit slow, causing the car to lose ground in the race. [ ] [ ]
gear intransitive-verb

  1. To start operating or functioning effectively.

    1. The project geared up after the final documents arrived. [ ] [ ]
    2. Once the funding was secured, the research team could gear up their efforts. [ ] [ ]
gear phrasal-verb

  1. To start operating or functioning effectively.

    1. He geared up his efforts after the final exams arrived. [ ] [ ]
    2. Once the funding was secured, the research team could gear up their efforts. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "gear" in English means: Equipment or clothing used for a particular activity., A toothed wheel that works with other wheels to change the speed of a vehicle or machine., The level of enthusiasm or intensity..

The phonetic transcription of "gear" is /ɡɪər/ in British English and /ɡɪr/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "gear": equipment, tackle, cog, mechanism, apparatus, clothes.

Example usage of "gear": "We bought some new camping gear for our trip in Yosemite.". More examples on the page.