Meaning & use
change gear
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiom
To move the gear lever of a vehicle to a different setting, to suit your speed or the road.
Grammar: A verb phrase with no object: she changed gear as the hill got steeper.
Patterns
- change gear to go uphill
- change down a gear
She changed gear smoothly as the road began to climb.
You need to change gear before the corner, not during it.
He stalled the car because he forgot to change gear.
phraseidiominformalfigurative
To adjust your pace, approach or level of effort, especially to something faster or more serious.
Grammar: Figurative and informal: the team changed gear after halftime.
Patterns
- change gear after something
- change gear to do something
The team changed gear in the second half and scored three times.
After the long holiday, it took me a week to change gear and get back to work.
The company needs to change gear if it wants to compete.
Word forms
| third person singular | changes gear |
|---|---|
| past tense | changed gear |
| past participle | changed gear |
| -ing form | changing gear |
Common combinations
- change gear smoothly
- A good driver can change gear smoothly without jerking the car.
- change gear quickly
- The rider had to change gear quickly on the steep climb.
- change gear uphill
- I always change gear before going uphill.
- time to change gear
- It's time to change gear and speed up the project.
- change gear mid-career
- Many people change gear mid-career and try something new.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shift gears
- This is the American form and also works figuratively, while change gear is the usual British wording.
- step up
- Step up means increase effort, but it lacks the driving image and does not suggest a switch of approach.
- switch
- Switch is more general and just means to change, with no suggestion of speed or effort.
Opposites
Word family
- gear noun
- a toothed wheel or setting that controls speed
- gearbox noun
- the part of a vehicle that contains the gears
- gear lever noun
- the stick used to change gear
- gear up phrasal verb
- to prepare for something
Commonly confused: change gear or change gears?
change gear vs change gears
Change gears with a s is the American-flavored variant; change gear in the singular is the typical British idiom.
Practice
The road got steeper, so the driver had to _____ to keep the car moving.
Choose one answer.
Changing gear means adjusting the gear setting, which is what a steep hill requires. The other options do not relate to controlling the car's power.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “change gear”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.