What does gear mean?
Gear is a versatile word for equipment, apparatus, tools, clothing, and belongings. Its most common everyday use is collective: instead of naming individual items, speakers refer to the “gear” used for a particular activity, such as camping gear, fishing gear, or computer gear. In informal contexts, it can also mean a person’s outfit or general belongings. Gear has a specialized mechanical sense for a system of interlocking cogs or the position of a mechanism, including the figurative expression “in gear,” meaning ready and functioning. As a verb, “gear” refers to preparation and equipping: a person or team can “gear up” for a demanding task, or be “geared for” changing circumstances. The word is equally common in British and American English, although “gear” for clothing is especially characteristic of informal speech. Its broad range of meanings makes it useful for describing both practical preparation and the machinery of activity itself.
Equipment, apparatus, tools, clothing, or belongings collectively, especially items used for a particular activity. It can also denote a system of interlocking toothed wheels and the position or condition of a mechanism.
"The technician checked the gear before starting the machine."
The collective sense is common in both formal and informal English. The clothing sense is especially informal.
To prepare or equip oneself or someone else for an activity, task, or situation.
"The students geared themselves up for the final examination."
Common constructions include “gear up,” “gear for,” and “be geared toward.”
The plural is used for individual machines or mechanisms with teeth and, less often, for sets of equipment or items.
"The engine has six forward gears."
From hiking boots to the cogwheels in an engine, gear has grown from a general word for equipment into one of the basic metaphors of modern life.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How gear is actually used
In informal British and American English, “gear” commonly means clothing or personal belongings, as in “gears for the concert.” “Gear up” and “geared for” are especially common in the sense of preparation. The word can also refer to a machinery system or to a level of activity, as in “the economy is in high gear.”