# gear

Pronunciation: say "GEER" US /ɡɪɚ/, UK/AUS /ɡɪə/

## Noun

1. Equipment or other items, especially the kind used for a sport or other physical activity.
   - Simple: The tools and special items you need for a sport or other activity.
   - _The hikers checked their gear before setting out on the trail._
   - _Divers rinse their gear in fresh water after each session._
2. A toothed wheel, segment, or bar whose teeth interlock with another's to transmit motion from one to the other.
   - Simple: A wheel with teeth around its edge that locks with another to pass on movement.
   - _Each gear in the clock meshes with the next to keep accurate time._
   - _When one gear wears down, the whole mechanism can jam._
4. A particular choice of interlocking gears producing a specific gear ratio, often selected with a shifter.
   - Simple: One of several speed settings on a bike or car, chosen with a shifter.
   - _He dropped into a lower gear to keep control on the descent._
   - _Cyclists pick a higher gear to gain speed on flat roads._
5. Clothing or garments, especially considered as a set or particular style.
   - Simple: Clothes, especially a particular style or set of them.
   - _The band walked on stage in matching gear._
   - _He turned up at the party in full punk gear: ripped jeans, studs, and a leather jacket._
6. Short for landing gear: the wheels or other supports under an aircraft, used for takeoff and landing. — Ellipsis of landing gear.
   - Simple: Short for landing gear. The wheels a plane uses to take off and land.
   - _The crew confirmed the gear was down and locked._
   - _The pilot lowered the gear as the plane approached the runway._
7. One's belongings or possessions considered together.
   - Simple: Your things and belongings.
   - _The traveler's gear lay scattered across the inn floor._
   - _When he moved out, he loaded all his gear, from books to dishes, into the van._
11. Recreational drugs taken for pleasure or performance, steroids included. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Drugs taken for fun or to boost performance, including steroids.
   - _Half the lifters at that gym were rumored to be on gear._
   - _Dealers moved their gear quietly through the back rooms of the club._

## Verb

3. To design or adapt something so as to be suitable for a particular type of person or purpose.
   - Simple: To design or change something so it fits a certain group of people or a certain purpose.
   - _The company decided to gear its products to first-time buyers._
   - _Teachers often gear their explanations to the level of the class._
8. To fit something with gears, or with a set of gears chosen to achieve a desired gear ratio.
   - Simple: To fit a machine with toothed wheels so it runs at the speed you want.
   - _Engineers geared the tractor for pulling power rather than speed._
   - _Builders gear the windmill so its slow rotation drives a fast pump._
9. To engage with a machine's moving parts, the teeth meshing so that motion or power is transmitted.
   - Simple: To mesh with a machine's turning parts so that power can pass through.
   - _If the pinion doesn't gear properly with the main wheel, the whole machine starts to grind and shudder._
   - _When you turn the key, the starter's small pinion gears into the flywheel and cranks the engine._
10. To dress someone, or to put equipment or a harness on a person or animal.
   - Simple: To put equipment or a harness onto a person or animal.
   - _The staff geared each rider up with a helmet and vest before the trail ride._
   - _She has to gear the dog up in its harness before every long hike._
12. To take on debt specifically in order to fund the purchase of investment assets.
   - Simple: To borrow money so that you can buy investments with it.
   - _Property funds often gear to amplify their potential returns._
   - _The firm geared aggressively just before the market downturn._

## Noun

13. Matters of business; the affairs and concerns one is occupied with. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Business matters or affairs that a person deals with.
14. Anything worthless: nonsense, foolishness, or useless trash. *(obsolete, UK)*
   - Simple: Worthless nonsense, or foolish talk and junk.

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Great or fantastic; a word of strong praise heard chiefly in Liverpool.

## Origin

Proto-Germanic *garwijaną ("to prepare") produced Old Norse gervi, which Middle English borrowed as gere. The same root, by way of Old English, also gave the adjective yare.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/gear (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).