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
Sarah Lyon, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2025
Videos and images shared on social media by the DEA showed officers and agents in tactical gear swarming outside the building.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025
Alice Callahan, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
Some belt drives have internally geared hubs that aren’t meant to be user-serviceable.
—Chris Cona, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gear
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Go ahead and bring your summer gear out now, Malone suggests, adding that now is an ideal time to part ways with untouched cold weather items.
—Sarah Lyon, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2025
Videos and images shared on social media by the DEA showed officers and agents in tactical gear swarming outside the building.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025
Verb
Many posts on social media — many of them geared toward women — promote high protein diets for weight loss.
—Alice Callahan, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
Some belt drives have internally geared hubs that aren’t meant to be user-serviceable.
—Chris Cona, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 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 30 Apr. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share