Meanings
prepositional phrase
- With gears not engaged; idle.
The work went on, until the noon-bell rang. More clattering upon the pavements. The looms, and wheels, and Hands all out of gear for an hour.
1854, Charles Dickens, “Chapter 11”, in Hard Times. For These Times, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], →OCLC - Out of control; in disarray.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivenot having gears engaged
Similar
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
APA
out of gear. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20of%20gear
MLA
“out of gear.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20of%20gear. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “out of gear,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20of%20gear.
Source: out of gear on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.