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.
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
Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2025
Brittany’s video shows them in workout gear, Whoop trackers strapped to their wrists, going head-to-head on a mat doing leg lifts and passing a medicine ball back and forth.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2025
Janine Schindler, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
The project was more than five years in the making, and now sits in limbo as President Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin slash funding for more than 780 grants geared toward environmental justice that were awarded under President Biden.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for gear
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Noun
The organization announced the collaboration on Wednesday with social media posts showing the women posing with the fashionable gear.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2025
Brittany’s video shows them in workout gear, Whoop trackers strapped to their wrists, going head-to-head on a mat doing leg lifts and passing a medicine ball back and forth.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2025
Verb
The person who previously occupied the role oversaw the creation of bilingual marketing campaigns geared toward that specific demographic.
—Janine Schindler, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
The project was more than five years in the making, and now sits in limbo as President Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin slash funding for more than 780 grants geared toward environmental justice that were awarded under President Biden.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for gear
Cite this Entry
“Gear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gear. Accessed 14 May. 2025.
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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