gear

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A toothed machine part, such as a wheel or cylinder, that meshes with another toothed part to transmit motion or to change speed or direction.
2. n. A complete assembly that performs a specific function in a larger machine.
3. n. A transmission configuration for a specific ratio of engine to axle torque in a motor vehicle.
4. n. Equipment, such as tools or clothing, used for a particular activity: fishing gear. See Synonyms at equipment.
5. n. Clothing and accessories: the latest gear for teenagers.
6. n. Personal belongings, including clothing: keeps her gear in a trunk.
7. n. The harness for a horse.
8. n. Nautical A ship's rigging.
9. n. Nautical A sailor's personal effects.
10. v. To equip with gears.
11. v. To connect by gears.
12. v. To put into gear.
13. v. To adjust or adapt so as to make suitable: geared the speech to a conservative audience.
14. v. To provide with gear; equip.
15. v. To come into or be in gear.
16. v. To become adjusted so as to fit or blend.
17. gear up To get ready for a coming action or event: a group of investors who had geared up for the takeover fight.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A state of preparation or fitness; a suitable or fitting condition: as, to be out of gear; to bring anything into gear.
2. n. Whatever is prepared for use or wear; manufactured stuff or material; hence, habit; dress; ornaments; armor.
3. n. Any special set of things forming essential parts or appurtenances, or utilized for or connected with some special act, occupation, etc.: as, hunting-gear. Specifically— The harness or furniture of working animals; whatever is used in equipping horses or cattle for draft or other use; tackle.
4. n. Naut.. the ropes, blocks, etc., belonging to any particular sail or spar: as, the mainsail-gear, the foretop-mast-gear.
5. n. In machinery, the appliances or furnishings connected with the acting parts of any piece of mechanism: as, expansion-gear, valve-gear. More particularly— Toothed wheels collectively. The connection of toothed wheels with each other; gearing: as, to throw machinery into or out of gear.
6. n. A coal-miners' set of tools.
7. n. plural In coal-mining, staging and rails for shipping coal on wharves.
8. n. Goods; property in general.
9. n. A matter; an affair; affairs collectively.
10. n. Ordinary manner; behavior; custom; practice.
11. To put into gear; prepare for operation; fit with gear or gearing: as, to gear up a wagon; to gear a machine or an engine.
12. In machinery, to fit into another part, as one part of gearing into another. See gearing.
13. n. The diameter of an imaginary wheel whose circumference is equal to the distance traversed by a safety-bicycle during a single revolution of the pedals: as, a 72-inch gear.
14. n. A toothed wheel in which the axial lines of any one tooth are made up of two helical lines of equal pitch, one right-handed and one left-handed, which meet at the center of the face or breadth of the toothed surface. Such gears are called herring-bone gears, from the V-shape which each tooth receives. In this latter form they can only be used when the shafts are parallel.

Wiktionary

1. n. uncountable equipment or paraphernalia, especially that used for an athletic endeavor.
2. n. countable a wheel with grooves (teeth) engraved on the outer circumference, such that two such devices can interlock and convey motion from one to the other.
3. n. countable a particular combination or choice of interlocking gears, such that a particular gear ratio is achieved.
4. n. countable A configuration of the transmission of a motor car so as to achieve a particular ratio of engine to axle torque
5. n. slang recreational drugs
6. n. uncountable (archaic) stuff.
7. v. engineering, transitive To fit with gears in order to achieve a desired gear ratio.
8. interj. ) great or fantastic

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. Clothing; garments; ornaments.
2. n. Goods; property; household stuff.
3. n. Whatever is prepared for use or wear; manufactured stuff or material.
4. n. The harness of horses or cattle; trapping.
5. n. Scot. Warlike accouterments.
6. n. obsolete Manner; custom; behavior.
7. n. obsolete Business matters; affairs; concern.
8. n. A toothed wheel, or cogwheel; ; also, toothed wheels, collectively.
9. n. An apparatus for performing a special function; gearing.
10. n. Engagement of parts with each other
11. n. (Naut.) See 1st Jeer (b).
12. n. Obs. or Prov. Eng. Anything worthless; stuff; nonsense; rubbish.
13. v. To dress; to put gear on; to harness.
14. v. (Mach.) To provide with gearing.
15. v. To adapt toward some specific purpose.
16. v. (Mach.) To be in, or come into, gear.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. set the level or character of
2. n. equipment consisting of miscellaneous articles needed for a particular operation or sport etc.
3. n. a mechanism for transmitting motion for some specific purpose (as the steering gear of a vehicle)
4. n. wheelwork consisting of a connected set of rotating gears by which force is transmitted or motion or torque is changed
5. n. a toothed wheel that engages another toothed mechanism in order to change the speed or direction of transmitted motion