gears

Noun

gear (countable and uncountable, plural gears)

1. (uncountable) Equipment or paraphernalia, especially that used for an athletic endeavor.
2. Clothing; garments.
   • Aray thy selfe in her most gorgeous geare1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 26
3. (obsolete) Goods; property; household items.
   • Homely gear and common ware.1551, Thomas More, “(please specify the Internet Archive page)”, in Raphe Robynson [i.e., Ralph Robinson], transl., A Fruteful, and Pleasaunt Worke of the Best State of a Publyque Weale, and of the...
4. (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

   Synonyms:

   cog, cogwheel, gear wheel, gearwheel

5. (countable) A particular combination or choice of interlocking gears, such that a particular gear ratio is achieved; often selected via a shifter.
   1. (countable) A configuration of the transmission of a motor car so as to achieve a particular ratio of engine to axle torque.

See all 17 meanings of gear