gear

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gear^¹

/ɡɪə/ Australia, UK
/ɡɪː/ British, Southern, Standard
/ˈɡɪjə/ British, Southern, Standard
/ɡiə/ New Zealand
/ɡɛː/
/ɡɪɚ/ Canadian, US, Standard
[ɡɪɚ] ~ [ɡɪɹ̩] Canadian, US, Standard
/ɡiɾ/ Scotland
[ɡiːɾ] Scotland

Rhymes with -ɪə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From Middle English gere, a borrowing from Old Norse gervi, from Proto-Germanic *garwijaną (“to prepare”). See also adjective yare, yar from the same root via Old English.

noun gears

uncountable Equipment or paraphernalia, especially that used for an athletic endeavor.
countable, uncountable Clothing; garments. Aray thy selfe in her most gorgeous geare
countable, obsolete, uncountable Goods; property; household items. Homely gear and common ware.
countable A wheel, wheel segment, or bar with grooves (teeth) engraved on the outer circumference, such that two such devices can interlock and convey motion from one to the other. Near-synonyms: (wheel types) cog, cogwheel, gear wheel, gearwheel
Similar: cog, cogwheel, gear wheel, gearwheel
countable A particular combination or choice of interlocking gears, such that a particular gear ratio is achieved; often selected via a shifter.
countable A configuration of the transmission of a motor car so as to achieve a particular ratio of engine to axle torque.
abbreviation, countable, ellipsis, uncountable Ellipsis of landing gear gear-up landing
slang, uncountable Recreational drugs, including steroids. getting on gear
archaic, uncountable Stuff. When he was digged up, which was in the presence of the Magistracy of the Town, his body was found entire, not at all putrid, no ill smell about him, saving the mustiness of the grave-Clothes, his joynts limber and flexible, as in those that are alive, his skin only flaccid, but a more fresh grown i
countable, obsolete, uncountable Business matters; affairs; concern. goe they both together to their geare.
UK, countable, dialectal, obsolete, uncountable Anything worthless; nonsense; rubbish. March 29, 1549, Hugh Latimer, the fourth sermon preached before King Edward That servant of his that confessed and uttered this gear was an honest man.

verb gears · gearing · geared

transitive To provide with gearing; to fit with gears in order to achieve a desired gear ratio.
intransitive To be in gear, come into gear.
To dress; to put gear on; to harness.
usually, with to or toward(s) To design or devise (something) so as to be suitable (for a particular type of person or a particular purpose). This shop is not really geared towards people of our age.
To borrow money in order to invest it in assets.

adjective more gear · most gear

great or fantastic

Gear^²

proper noun

A surname.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: paraphernalia, appurtenances, cogwheel, gear wheel, pitch, gear mechanism, stuff, equipment, equipping, chain, equip, tool, box, materiel, armament, cog

Translations

Every language

noun a particular combination or choice of interlocking gears

Español	marcha, velocidad, engranaje, engrane
日本語	ギア gia
中文	擋 /挡 dǎng
Português	marcha, velocidade
Français	engrenage
Deutsch	Gang
Italiano	marcia
Ελληνικά	σχέση schési
Русский	переда́ча peredáča, ско́рость skórostʹ

noun equipment or paraphernalia

Español	pertrecho, pertrechos, aparejo, aparejos, apero, aperos
Português	equipamento
Français	panoplie, matériel, matos
Deutsch	Ausrüstung
Italiano	attrezzo, parafernalia, equipaggiamento
Ελληνικά	εξοπλισμός exoplismós, σύνεργα sýnerga
Русский	снаряже́ние snarjažénije

noun motor car transmission

Español	marcha, cambio
中文	排擋 /排挡 páidǎng
Português	marcha, câmbio
Français	vitesse
Deutsch	Gangschaltung
Italiano	cambio
Ελληνικά	ταχύτητα tachýtita
Română	cutie de viteze, schimbător de viteză
Русский	переда́ча peredáča, трансми́ссия transmíssija

noun (slang) recreational drugs

Español	merca
Deutsch	Stoff

verb to fit with gears in order to achieve a desired gear ratio

Español	engranar
Português	engrenar
Français	passer ses vitesses, engrener
Italiano	ingranare

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Cite this

MLA

"gear." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gear. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

gear. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gear

Chicago

"gear." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gear.

BibTeX

@misc{gear_2026,
  title = {gear},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gear},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}