first gear
3
2.8
- noun
- /fɜrst ɡɪr/
:
primera marcha
- He revved the engine as he pressed the clutch and engaged first gear.
- shift into first gear
- put it in first gear
- car in first gear
If you think about what happens when you're driving a stick shift car, you put your foot on the gas in first gear and the car just goes.
- If you think about what happens when you're driving a stick shift car, you put your foot on the gas in first gear and the car just goes.
Examples
-
Janet smiled and drove in first gear out of the parking lot.
Fiction book (1998) -
Gentry returns his eyes to the stoplight before gently easing the ancient Porsche into first gear.
Fiction book (1990) -
Now we're in first gear.
-
Drop down to first gear, honey.
-
First gear, step on the gas!
-
As he slips the truck into first gear, he looks down at his watch.
Fiction book (1996) -
Fletch put the Jeep in first gear.
Fiction book (1994) -
The engine rumbled to life, and Tom slammed the stick into first gear and left rubber behind as he punched out of the parking space.
Fiction book (2001) -
She drove in first gear, her left foot poised over the clutch.
Fiction book (1994) -
To start smoothly, make sure you shift into first gear before moving off.
Synonyms
3
6.8
The forward gear used for starting or extra power
2
3.2
A lower setting in a vehicle that gives more power and less speed for starting and climbing
The lowest gear in a car that you use to start moving
How Fast
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the lowest forward gear in a vehicle's gearbox' is directly derivable from combining 'first' (the initial/lowest) with 'gear' (a gearbox speed or toothed wheel), so a learner who knows both words can infer the phrase. This compositional naming pattern for gearbox speeds is cross-linguistically common (e.g., primera marcha, première vitesse), supporting immediate comprehension at B1.
Etymology
First gear comes from driving a manual car: it is the lowest gear you use to 'start' the car moving because the first setting gives the power you need at low speed. That's why first gear means the setting you choose to get a car moving when it is stopped.