gear

bottom, top

The car struggled up the steep hill because it was stuck in bottom gear.

high, low

first, second, etc.

reverse

engage, select

When driving uphill, you need to select a lower gear for better engine power.

change, change into, move into, put/slam/slip sth into, shift (into), switch

When the light turned green, he shifted into high gear and accelerated down the highway.

move up, step up

When the boss asked for faster results, the whole team moved up a gear and finished the project early.

crash, grind

The old car kept grinding its gears whenever she tried to shift into reverse.

change

The driver executed a perfect gear change while accelerating up the steep mountain road.

lever, stick (also gearstick)

in (a/the) ~

When the car started rolling backward, I quickly shifted into gear to stop it.

out of ~

When you park on a hill, always make sure the car is out of gear and the brake is on.

camping, climbing, fishing, running, sports, swimming, walking

breathing

The scuba diver checked her breathing gear before descending into the deep water.

landing, winding

The old clock's winding gear needed replacement after it stopped working.

combat, riot

outdoor

designer

She bought some designer gear for the music festival last weekend.

be dressed in, have on, wear

He was dressed in protective gear before entering the construction site.

put on, take off

in ~

The firefighters arrived at the scene dressed in protective gear.

completely, entirely, exclusively, totally

The new training program was totally geared toward helping employees develop leadership skills.

primarily

specifically

The new curriculum is geared specifically toward helping students with learning difficulties.

clearly