Illustration of gear
- G gear 6a(2)
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
geared; gearing; gears
1
a
: to provide (machinery) with gearing (see gearing sense 2)
b
: to connect by gearing (see gearing sense 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
1
a
British, of machinery
: to be in gear : mesh
b
: shift sense 1c
gear down
2
: to become adjusted so as to match, blend, or harmonize
The industry is geared to meet growing consumer demand.
Synonyms
Examples of gear in a Sentence
Noun
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 on the Web
Lars Brandle, Billboard, 15 Apr. 2024
Backcountry’s Memorial Day Sale has some incredible bargains on past-season clothing, as well as gear like camping tents, backpacks, and bikes.
—Malia Griggs, SELF, 15 Apr. 2024
Forced to live-stream at gunpoint 0:58 A group of tactical police officers in full riot gear was already inside the building.
—Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024
Some of Colossal’s critics have even switched gears and joined the company.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
Being able to pack gym gear along with work supplies will leave you zero excuses to skip the gym.
—L.a. Hubilla, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
Sources: Reasons to be Cheerful, Statistics Denmark Women in Senegal are donning beekeeping gear to protect mangroves
Mangroves are a haven of biodiversity and, like wetlands and seagrass meadows, store more carbon than terrestrial ecosystems.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 2024
Participants receive a 20% bonus for car seats, strollers and select baby home gear.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 9 Apr. 2024
The Texas high school baseball and softball seasons are in full gear, and there have been plenty of great performances in the Fort Worth-area.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
Devorah Lev-Tov Kin Woo Ella Riley-Adams Jameson Montgomery Kurt Soller Megan O’Sullivan, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
All are geared toward software engineers and business customers, as opposed to public-facing chatbots like ChatGPT that have become synonymous with generative AI.
—Emily Dreibelbis, PCMAG, 11 Apr. 2024
Spreading the word about the positive efforts that are currently underway is of equal importance, said Samuels, who shouted out Looking Ahead, an organization specifically geared toward providing resources and education to young performers.
—Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
Housing assistance programs run by nonprofits stepped in after the tornado, but most are geared toward homeowners rather than renters or people who lived with family members, Thomas said.
—Michael Goldberg, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
Caring for children puts different stresses on federal agencies historically more geared toward adults.
—arkansasonline.com, 5 Apr. 2024
His approach not only showcases the path to success but also encourages a mindset geared towards innovation and resilience.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
During the weekly events, which are geared toward families, attendees sprawl on blankets sipping wine and others rent VIP boxes while watching matches.
—Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
For example, Canva, an Australian design-software developer just acquired the design platform Affinity, which is geared toward professional users.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
That excitement lifted a gear earlier in the year, when Bieber performed a surprise short set of classics and recent hits at Drake’s 2,500-capacity downtown club History and, earlier, hinted at new music to come.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 15 Apr. 2024
Backcountry’s Memorial Day Sale has some incredible bargains on past-season clothing, as well as gear like camping tents, backpacks, and bikes.
—Malia Griggs, SELF, 15 Apr. 2024
Forced to live-stream at gunpoint 0:58 A group of tactical police officers in full riot gear was already inside the building.
—Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024
Some of Colossal’s critics have even switched gears and joined the company.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
Being able to pack gym gear along with work supplies will leave you zero excuses to skip the gym.
—L.a. Hubilla, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
Sources: Reasons to be Cheerful, Statistics Denmark Women in Senegal are donning beekeeping gear to protect mangroves
Mangroves are a haven of biodiversity and, like wetlands and seagrass meadows, store more carbon than terrestrial ecosystems.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 2024
Participants receive a 20% bonus for car seats, strollers and select baby home gear.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 9 Apr. 2024
The Texas high school baseball and softball seasons are in full gear, and there have been plenty of great performances in the Fort Worth-area.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
Verb
Laurel is geared toward takeaway orders, though there are three tables outside.
—Devorah Lev-Tov Kin Woo Ella Riley-Adams Jameson Montgomery Kurt Soller Megan O’Sullivan, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
All are geared toward software engineers and business customers, as opposed to public-facing chatbots like ChatGPT that have become synonymous with generative AI.
—Emily Dreibelbis, PCMAG, 11 Apr. 2024
Spreading the word about the positive efforts that are currently underway is of equal importance, said Samuels, who shouted out Looking Ahead, an organization specifically geared toward providing resources and education to young performers.
—Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
Housing assistance programs run by nonprofits stepped in after the tornado, but most are geared toward homeowners rather than renters or people who lived with family members, Thomas said.
—Michael Goldberg, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
Caring for children puts different stresses on federal agencies historically more geared toward adults.
—arkansasonline.com, 5 Apr. 2024
His approach not only showcases the path to success but also encourages a mindset geared towards innovation and resilience.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
During the weekly events, which are geared toward families, attendees sprawl on blankets sipping wine and others rent VIP boxes while watching matches.
—Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
For example, Canva, an Australian design-software developer just acquired the design platform Affinity, which is geared toward professional users.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gear.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near gear
Cite this Entry
“Gear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gear. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gear
1 of 2 noun1
: equipment sense 2
camping gear
electronic gear
2
a
: a mechanism that performs a specific function in a machine
steering gear
b
: a toothed wheel : cogwheel
3
a
: working order, relation, or adjustment
got her career in gear
b
: one of the adjustments of a transmission (as of a bicycle or motor vehicle) that determine the direction of travel and the relative speed of the engine and the vehicle
gear
2 of 2 verb1
: to provide or connect with gearing
2
: to prepare for operation
gear up for production
3
: to make suitable
a book geared for children
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