"low gear" meaning in English

See low gear in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: low gears [plural]
Head templates: {{en-noun}} low gear (plural low gears)
  1. The lowest gear available from a transmission or other gearbox, typically in a motor vehicle or cycle. Synonyms: bottom gear, creeper gear, granny gear, first gear Related terms: downshift, upshift Coordinate_terms: second gear, third gear, fourth gear, fifth gear, angel gear, overdrive, neutral
    Sense id: en-low_gear-en-noun-OjAEKJWi Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 48 41 10 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 48 23 29 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 42 34 24
  2. (with indefinite article "a") One of the lower gears available from a gearbox, typically in a motor vehicle or cycle.
    Sense id: en-low_gear-en-noun-UpL1uyg7 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 48 41 10 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 42 34 24
  3. (figurative) A state of sluggish or minimal activity. Tags: figuratively
    Sense id: en-low_gear-en-noun-en:state_of_sluggish_or_minimal_activity Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 48 41 10 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 42 34 24

Inflected forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "low gears",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "low gear (plural low gears)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "antonyms": [
        {
          "word": "top gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "overdrive"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "48 41 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "48 23 29",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "42 34 24",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "coordinate_terms": [
        {
          "word": "second gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "third gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "fourth gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "fifth gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "angel gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "overdrive"
        },
        {
          "word": "neutral"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Near-synonyms: creeper gear, granny gear, first gear (low gear is first gear unless the transmission at hand has a granny gear)"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              13,
              21
            ]
          ],
          "text": "Start out in low gear when climbing a steep hill.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The lowest gear available from a transmission or other gearbox, typically in a motor vehicle or cycle."
      ],
      "id": "en-low_gear-en-noun-OjAEKJWi",
      "links": [
        [
          "gear",
          "gear#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "transmission",
          "transmission"
        ],
        [
          "gearbox",
          "gearbox"
        ],
        [
          "motor vehicle",
          "motor vehicle"
        ],
        [
          "cycle",
          "cycle"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26 0",
          "word": "downshift"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26 0",
          "word": "upshift"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "bottom gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "creeper gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "granny gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "first gear"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "48 41 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "42 34 24",
          "kind": "other",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              2,
              10
            ]
          ],
          "text": "A low gear is appropriate when climbing a steep hill.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "One of the lower gears available from a gearbox, typically in a motor vehicle or cycle."
      ],
      "id": "en-low_gear-en-noun-UpL1uyg7",
      "links": [
        [
          "gear",
          "gear#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "gearbox",
          "gearbox"
        ],
        [
          "motor vehicle",
          "motor vehicle"
        ],
        [
          "cycle",
          "cycle"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(with indefinite article \"a\") One of the lower gears available from a gearbox, typically in a motor vehicle or cycle."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "with indefinite article \"a\""
      ]
    },
    {
      "antonyms": [
        {
          "word": "top gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "overdrive"
        },
        {
          "word": "full throttle"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "48 41 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "42 34 24",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              25,
              33
            ]
          ],
          "text": "The campaign remained in low gear until sufficient funding was finally received.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A state of sluggish or minimal activity."
      ],
      "id": "en-low_gear-en-noun-en:state_of_sluggish_or_minimal_activity",
      "links": [
        [
          "sluggish",
          "sluggish"
        ],
        [
          "minimal",
          "minimal"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) A state of sluggish or minimal activity."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:state of sluggish or minimal activity"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "low gear"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "low gears",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "low gear (plural low gears)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "downshift"
    },
    {
      "word": "upshift"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "antonyms": [
        {
          "word": "top gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "overdrive"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "coordinate_terms": [
        {
          "word": "second gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "third gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "fourth gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "fifth gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "angel gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "overdrive"
        },
        {
          "word": "neutral"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Near-synonyms: creeper gear, granny gear, first gear (low gear is first gear unless the transmission at hand has a granny gear)"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              13,
              21
            ]
          ],
          "text": "Start out in low gear when climbing a steep hill.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The lowest gear available from a transmission or other gearbox, typically in a motor vehicle or cycle."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "gear",
          "gear#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "transmission",
          "transmission"
        ],
        [
          "gearbox",
          "gearbox"
        ],
        [
          "motor vehicle",
          "motor vehicle"
        ],
        [
          "cycle",
          "cycle"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "bottom gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "creeper gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "granny gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "first gear"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              2,
              10
            ]
          ],
          "text": "A low gear is appropriate when climbing a steep hill.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "One of the lower gears available from a gearbox, typically in a motor vehicle or cycle."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "gear",
          "gear#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "gearbox",
          "gearbox"
        ],
        [
          "motor vehicle",
          "motor vehicle"
        ],
        [
          "cycle",
          "cycle"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(with indefinite article \"a\") One of the lower gears available from a gearbox, typically in a motor vehicle or cycle."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "with indefinite article \"a\""
      ]
    },
    {
      "antonyms": [
        {
          "word": "top gear"
        },
        {
          "word": "overdrive"
        },
        {
          "word": "full throttle"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              25,
              33
            ]
          ],
          "text": "The campaign remained in low gear until sufficient funding was finally received.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A state of sluggish or minimal activity."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "sluggish",
          "sluggish"
        ],
        [
          "minimal",
          "minimal"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) A state of sluggish or minimal activity."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:state of sluggish or minimal activity"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "low gear"
}

Download raw JSONL data for low gear meaning in English (2.6kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (ccec6f1 and 4deed51). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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