Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - gear

~1 n 1 »IN CARS ETC« the machinery in a vehicle that turns power from the engine into movement  (The new model has five forward gears. | driving cautiously along in third gear | bottom gear BrE low gear AmE (=the gear used for driving slowly) | in gear (=with a gear connecting the engine to the wheels, and therefore ready to move))  (Don't turn off the engine while you're still in gear.) 2 »MACHINERY« a piece of machinery that performs a particular job  (the landing gear of a plane | heavy lifting gear) 3 »EQUIPMENT« a set of equipment or tools you need for a particular activity  (He's crazy about photography - he's got all the gear. | We'll need camping gear when we go away.) 4 »CLOTHES« a set of clothes that you wear for a particular occasion or activity  (Bring your rain gear. | You have to wear protective gear for this.) 5 change gear BrE shift gear AmE a) to move a vehicle into a different gear b) to start something in a different way, especially in the amount of energy or effort you use  (The boss expects us to be able to change gear just like that.) 6 in top gear BrE in high gear AmE a) the gear used at high speeds b) doing something with the greatest possible effort and energy  (During this period, Japan's export industries were in top gear. | The Republican's propaganda machine moved into high gear.) 7 be thrown out of gear if a process is thrown out of gear, something prevents it from happening in the way that was planned 8 »DRUGS« slang a word meaning illegal drugs, used by people who take drugs ~2 v 1 be geared to to be organized in a way that is suitable for a particular purpose or situation  (The typical career pattern was geared to men whose wives didn't work. | be geared to do sth)  (The course curriculum is geared to span three years.) 2 be geared up to be well prepared for something you have to do + for  (The party is all geared up for the election. | We need to be geared up to deal with this sort of emergency.)