gear Hear it!

gear Definition

gear (gir)

noun

    1. Obsolete the clothing and equipment of a soldier, knight, etc.
    2. clothing; apparel
  2. movable property; esp., apparatus or equipment for some particular task, as a workman's tools, the rigging of a ship, a harness, etc.
    1. a toothed wheel, disk, etc. designed to mesh with another or with the thread of a worm
    2. a system of two or more gears meshed together so that the motion of one controls the speed and torque of another
    3. a specific adjustment of such a system
    4. any part of a mechanism performing a specific function the steering gear

Etymology: ME gere, prob. < ON gervi, preparation, ornament, akin to OE gearo, yare

adjective

Chiefly Brit., Slang highly acceptable, attractive, etc.

transitive verb

  1. to furnish with gear; harness
  2. to adapt (one thing) so as to conform with another to gear production to demand
  3. Mech.
    1. to connect by gears
    2. to furnish with gears
    3. to put into gear

intransitive verb

Mech. to be in, or come into, proper adjustment or working order

gear Idioms

gear down

to adjust gears so that the driven element goes slower than the driving element, with a consequent increase in torque

gear up

  1. to adjust gears so that the driven element goes faster than the driving element, with a consequent decrease in torque
  2. to accelerate; increase efficiency (of) the factory geared up production

high gear

☆
  1. the arrangement of gears providing the greatest speed but little torque
  2. Informal high speed or efficiency

in (or out of) gear

  1. (not) connected to the motor
  2. (not) in proper adjustment or working order

low gear

☆
  1. the arrangement of gears providing little speed but great torque
  2. Informal low speed or efficiency

reverse gear

the arrangement of gears providing reverse, or backward, motion

shift gears

☆
  1. to change from one gear arrangement to another
  2. to change one's approach in handling a problem

gear Synonyms

gear

n.

  1. Equipment

    material, tackle, apparatus, paraphernalia; see equipment.

  2. A geared wheel

    cog, cogwheel, pinion, toothed wheel, spurwheel, sprocket, ragwheel, lanternwheel.

    Types of gears include: spur, bevel, crown, worm, internal, inside, drive, driving, transmission, differential, timing, conical, Hooke's, spiral, stepped, angular, beveled, elliptical, hooked, idling, overhead, hypoid, nylon, plastic, first, low, second, intermediate, third, high, fourth, reverse, overdrive, multiplying, quick-return.

  3. Clothes or other personal belongings

    clothing, apparel, effects, things; see baggage, clothes, property 1.

high gear*

high speed, productivity, efficiency, activity; see action 1, speed.

in gear*

usable, efficient, productive, in working order; see working.

low gear*

low speed, slowness, inactivity, inefficiency; see idleness 1.

out of gear*

inefficient, not working, inoperative; see broken 2, useless 1.

shift gears*

alter one's approach, proceed along a different course, readjust; see change 1.

gear Synonyms

gear

v.

  1. To prepare

    organize, harness, ready, equip; see prepare 1, provide 1.

  2. To regulate

    adjust, match, blend; see adjust 1, regulate 2.

gear Usage Examples

Preposition: towards

memorization: Game No 2: Pockets A traditional European game, geared toward in-depth memorization.

Converse of object

  • don: Yes, deciding not to don ones winter gear and head out into the blizzard is laziness.
  • climb: Instead of climbing gear, however, you must organize your thoughts.

Adjective modifier

  • protective: It produces a whole range of products for professional and leisure sportsmen: sports equipment, training aids, fitness products and protective gear.
  • reverse: In 1904 wheel steering and a reverse gear were offered together with 3 cylinder models of 1.4 and 2.4 liters.
  • diving: Accordingly, this year we took out diving gear in order to try to extend the cave.
  • 5th: We have it 2 years: at 85k the 5th gear went ( £ 200 ).
  • wet: I'd done one carry the night before but lost enthusiasm when it started to rain and my wet weather gear was at home.
  • outdoor: Ellis Brigham Field and Trek Big discount and mail order shop George Fisher Mountain Warehouse For great value outdoor gear!

Modifies a noun

  • lever: The gear lever is on the left of the steering column.
  • ratio: Gearbox; Longer second gear, gear box ratio improves gear box spacing.
  • shifter: Gear Shifters: Gear shifters are the controls on the handlebars which you use to change gear.
  • tooth: Ridging In gear teeth, a form of plastic flow characterized by a rippled appearance on the surface.
  • stick: Gear lever mounted switches and their wiring are particularly vulnerable to failure because of the constantly repeated movement of the gear stick.

Noun used with modifier

  • riot: Nine officers in riot gear burst into his house.
  • valve: They have no reversible valve gear or variable cutoff.
  • landing: Two steel tube ribs at each end of spar carry main power unit and landing gear pick up points.
  • paddle: Struncheon Hill Lock - close up of the upper gate paddle gear.
  • scuba: We were now in the water, with all our scuba gear, ready to melt into the blue world below.
  • camping: On a low budget We slept in our tent all the nights, and we carried our own camping gear.

Browse dictionary entries near gear

  1. ‹ geanticline
  2. ‹ geanticlinal
  3. ‹ Ge
  4. ‹ Gdynia
  5. ‹ gds
  6. ‹ GDR
  7. ‹ GDP implicit price deflator
  8. ‹ GDP
  9. ‹ gdn
  10. ‹ Gdańsk
  1. gear ratio ›
  2. gearbox ›
  3. gearing ›
  4. gearshift ›
  5. gearwheel ›
  6. gecko ›
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  10. gee whiz ›