switch gears

A form of shift gears — To change the gear by which motion is transmitted from a powered shaft to another shaft, especially in a motor vehicle.

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Meanings

verbswitch gears (third-person singular simple present switches gears, present participle switching gears, simple past and past participle switched gears)

present singular third person switches gears · participle present switching gears · participle past switched gears · past switched gears

  1. alternativeAlternative form of shift gears.
Cite this entry
APA

switch gears. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/switch%20gears

MLA

“switch gears.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/switch%20gears. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “switch gears,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/switch%20gears.

Source: switch gears on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.