Meaning & use
gear lever
Last updated
UK/ˈɡɪə ˌliːvə/
US/ˈɡɪr ˌlevɚ/
Meaning
nouncountableBritish
The handle in a vehicle that the driver moves to change from one gear to another.
Grammar: Often used with the: 'move the gear lever'.
Patterns
- push the gear lever into something
- change gear with the gear lever
He rested his hand on the gear lever while waiting at the lights.
The gear lever felt stiff on the cold morning.
Push the gear lever forward to select reverse.
Word forms
| plural | gear levers |
|---|
Common combinations
- move the gear lever
- Move the gear lever into neutral before starting the engine.
- grab the gear lever
- She grabbed the gear lever and shifted down.
- stiff gear lever
- A stiff gear lever can mean a problem with the clutch.
- gear lever knob
- He replaced the plastic gear lever knob with a leather one.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gearshift
- Gearshift is the American equivalent and is also used for the whole mechanism, not just the handle.
- gear stick
- Gear stick is another British form, a little more casual than gear lever.
- stick shift
- Stick shift is informal American English and usually refers to a manual car as a whole.
Word family
Practice
In a manual car, which part do you move to change gear?
Choose one answer.
The gear lever selects the gear. The handbrake holds the car still, the steering column turns the wheels and the indicator stalk signals turns.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gear lever”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.