GEAR

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does gear mean? 

• GEAR (noun)
  The noun GEAR has 4 senses:

1. a toothed wheel that engages another toothed mechanism in order to change the speed or direction of transmitted motion

2. wheelwork consisting of a connected set of rotating gears by which force is transmitted or motion or torque is changed

3. a mechanism for transmitting motion for some specific purpose (as the steering gear of a vehicle)

4. equipment consisting of miscellaneous articles needed for a particular operation or sport etc.

  Familiarity information: GEAR used as a noun is uncommon.

• GEAR (verb)
  The verb GEAR has 1 sense:

1. set the level or character of

  Familiarity information: GEAR used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• GEAR (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A toothed wheel that engages another toothed mechanism in order to change the speed or direction of transmitted motion

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

cogwheel; gear; gear wheel; geared wheel

Hypernyms ("gear" is a kind of...):

wheel (a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines))

Meronyms (parts of "gear"):

cog; sprocket (tooth on the rim of gear wheel)

tooth (one of a number of uniform projections on a gear)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "gear"):

escape wheel (gear that engages a rocking lever)

pinion (a gear with a small number of teeth designed to mesh with a larger wheel or rack)

epicyclic gear; planet gear; planet wheel; planetary gear (an outer gear that revolves about a central sun gear of an epicyclic train)

rack and pinion (a wheel gear (the pinion) meshes with a toothed rack; converts rotary to reciprocating motion (and vice versa))

spur gear; spur wheel (gear wheels that mesh in the same plane)

sun gear (the central gear in an epicyclic train)

worm gear (gear consisting of a shaft with screw thread (the worm) that meshes with a toothed wheel (the worm wheel); changes the direction of the axis of rotary motion)

worm wheel (gear with the thread of a worm)

bevel gear; pinion and crown wheel; pinion and ring gear (gears that mesh at an angle)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Wheelwork consisting of a connected set of rotating gears by which force is transmitted or motion or torque is changed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

gear; gearing; geartrain; power train; train

Context example:

the fool got his tie caught in the geartrain

Hypernyms ("gear" is a kind of...):

wheelwork (mechanical device including an arrangement of wheel in a machine (especially a train of gears))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "gear"):

epicyclic gear train; epicyclic train (a system of epicyclic gears in which at least one wheel axis itself revolves about another fixed axis)

reduction gear (gearing that reduces an input speed to a slower output speed)

Holonyms ("gear" is a part of...):

engine (motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A mechanism for transmitting motion for some specific purpose (as the steering gear of a vehicle)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

gear; gear mechanism

Hypernyms ("gear" is a kind of...):

mechanism (device consisting of a piece of machinery; has moving parts that perform some function)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "gear"):

first; first gear; low; low gear (the lowest forward gear ratio in the gear box of a motor vehicle; used to start a car moving)

gearset (a set of gears)

high; high gear (a forward gear with a gear ratio that gives the greatest vehicle velocity for a given engine speed)

park (a gear position that acts as a parking brake)

reverse; reverse gear (the gears by which the motion of a machine can be reversed)

second; second gear (the gear that has the second lowest forward gear ratio in the gear box of a motor vehicle)

steering gear (a gear that couples the steering wheel to the steering linkage of a motor vehicle)

third; third gear (the third from the lowest forward ratio gear in the gear box of a motor vehicle)

transmission; transmission system (the gears that transmit power from an automobile engine via the driveshaft to the live axle)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Equipment consisting of miscellaneous articles needed for a particular operation or sport etc.

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

appurtenance; gear; paraphernalia

Hypernyms ("gear" is a kind of...):

equipment (an instrumentality needed for an undertaking or to perform a service)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "gear"):

saddlery; stable gear; tack (gear for a horse)

rigging; tackle (gear consisting of ropes etc. supporting a ship's masts and sails)

rig (gear (including necessary machinery) for a particular enterprise)

regalia (paraphernalia indicative of royalty (or other high office))

kit; outfit (gear consisting of a set of articles or tools for a specified purpose)

fishing gear; fishing rig; fishing tackle; rig; tackle (gear used in fishing)

• GEAR (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they gear    ... he / she / it gears   
Past simple: geared   
Past participle: geared   
-ing form: gearing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Set the level or character of

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

gear; pitch

Context example:

She pitched her speech to the teenagers in the audience

Hypernyms (to "gear" is one way to...):

accommodate; adapt (make fit for, or change to suit a new purpose)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "gear"):

popularise; popularize (make understandable to the general public)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something to somebody

 Context examples 

Later his feet grew hard to the trail, and the worn-out foot-gear was thrown away.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

Holiday parties are gearing up, so don’t hide inside.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

The tests were geared to measure participants' available cognitive capacity — that is, the brain's ability to hold and process data at any given time.

(Presence of Smartphone Reduces Brain Power, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The experiment is geared more towards understanding the way that Alzheimer’s progresses, not towards creating a pill to stop it from happening.

(Subtracting Gravity from Alzheimer's, NASA)

Try to stay fit, reduce stress, set up your work area properly, and use the right equipment and gear.

(Occupational Health, NIH)

Gear consisting of a set of articles or tools for a specified purpose

(Kit, NCI Thesaurus)

They did not remove their foot-gear, though the water was icy cold—so cold that their ankles ached and their feet went numb.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

He was only in his night-gear, and cannot be far off.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

I simply want your opinion about a hydraulic stamping machine which has got out of gear.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He must make a personal reform in all things, even to tooth-washing and neck-gear, though a starched collar affected him as a renunciation of freedom.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)