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Glite Dictionary
⚡ Extreme effort 🚗 A car gear 💪 To push too hard 🖥️ Faster display
overdrive

overdrive

4 6.5
A gear in a car that lets it go faster using less engine power
  • noun
  • /ˈoʊvərˌdraɪv/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sobremarcha
  • Driving in overdrive can help improve fuel efficiency during long highway trips.
  • overdrive gear
  • overdrive transmission
  • an automatic overdrive

Examples

  • I gunned the engine of my monster Dodge Ram and shifted into overdrive, convinced I'd done the right thing.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • One big element of modern vehicle fuel economy is severe overdrive ratios in top gear.

    Blog text (32)

  • Keep this car in overdrive

    Hooper (1978)

  • Four in the floor, twin carburetor, electric overdrive.

    Flywheel (2003)

  • The car was equipped with an overdrive feature that allowed it to cruise smoothly at high speeds without straining the engine.

  • His vehicle uses overdrive to reduce engine power consumption while maintaining a steady pace on the freeway.

How Fast

turbo
79 3.9
overdrive
  • Specialized
4 6.5

Surface Forms

overdrive singular
overdrives plural

Morphology

overdrive = drive (semi-transparent) = over + drive

Formally 'over-' + 'drive' is clear, but the technical automotive meaning (a specific transmission gear) is specialized and may not be obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Overdrive comes from over 'above' or 'extra' and drive 'to move or power'. In cars, it names a gear that lets the engine run more slowly while the wheels keep turning, so the car keeps speed with less engine effort.