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Meaning & use

re-gear

verb·Advanced

Last updated

UK/ˌriːˈɡɪə/
US/ˌriːˈɡɪr/

Meanings

  1. verbtransitivetechnical

    To change the gears or gear ratio of a vehicle or machine.

    Grammar: Takes an object: re-gear the truck. Can also be intransitive: the engine re-geared smoothly.

    Patterns

    • re-gear something
    • re-gear for something

    The mechanic re-geared the truck for better fuel efficiency on highways.

    You'll need to re-gear the bike if you ride mostly on hills.

    The transmission re-gears automatically when you accelerate.

  2. verbtransitive or intransitivefigurative

    To change the way something is organized or directed, especially in business or politics.

    Grammar: Often used with 'for' or 'toward': re-gear the company for growth; the party re-geared toward younger voters.

    Patterns

    • re-gear something for something
    • re-gear toward something

    The company re-geared its operations for online sales.

    The government re-geared its policies to attract foreign investment.

    After the merger, the firm re-geared toward new markets.

Word forms

third person singularre-gears
past tensere-geared
past participlere-geared
-ing formre-gearing

Common combinations

re-gear for growth
The startup re-geared for growth after securing funding.
re-gear the economy
The new president promised to re-gear the economy toward exports.
re-gear toward something
The department re-geared toward customer service.
re-gear a vehicle
He re-geared his Jeep for off-road driving.

Synonyms and how they differ

readjust
Readjust is more general and can mean any small change; re-gear often implies a more fundamental change in direction or mechanism.
restructure
Restructure is used mainly for organizations and systems; re-gear can also be used for physical gears.
redirect
Redirect means to change the course or purpose of something; re-gear often implies changing the underlying setup or mechanism.

Word family

gear noun
A part of a machine that changes speed or direction.
gear verb
To adjust or organize something for a particular purpose.
gearbox noun
The part of a vehicle that contains the gears.

Commonly confused: re-gear or gear?

re-gear vs gear

Gear as a verb means to adjust or prepare something; re-gear means to do it again or change the adjustment.

Practice

After losing many customers, the business decided to ______ its strategy toward online services.

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