Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to get in gear

to get in gear

3 4.2
Start working more actively and getting more done
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : ponerse en marcha
  • After a relaxing weekend, it's time to get in gear and finish my project before the deadline.

Examples

  • To succeed in the competition, the team must get in gear and practice every day.

  • - Speaking of getting in gear, what time is it?

    King of the Mountain (1981)

  • So, it's high time to get in gear.

    Blog text (20)

  • And so one or two will break out and start swimming and the others kind of get in gear and follow them.

  • Get in gear, and you can definitely make things easier soon.

    Blog text (3)

  • That would require the politicians to get in gear, which will hopefully be kicked off by the multiple protests.

    Blog text (19)

  • -Get in gear.

    Anger Management (2003)

  • I'm in the nurse's office screaming with Ms. B. calmly applying pressure and ordering Mr. Pierce, the principal, to get in gear and haul my ass to the emergency room.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • He realized he needed to get in gear if he wanted to pass the exam this time.

Synonyms

to gear up
vsto get in gear
68 3.7

To get ready for an activity by preparing people or equipment

is about beginning to work actively, not just making preparations
to get rolling
vsto get in gear
  • Informal
36 3.5

To start moving or begin working on something

is about becoming effective and more energetic rather than merely starting
to get it on
vsto get in gear
  • Informal
10 7.8

To begin an activity with energy

is about beginning productive work rather than just joining with enthusiasm
to get stuck in
vsto get in gear
  • UK
2 5.8

To start a task with energy and eagerness

is about starting work effectively but can be less eager in tone
to go into high gear
vsto get in gear
1 4.4

To start working faster and harder

is about beginning to work effectively with more energy, not just speed
to click into gear
vsto get in gear
  • Informal
4.2

To start working well and fast after a slow time

is about beginning work generally with more energy rather than after inactivity
to get your ass in gear
vsto get in gear
  • Offensive
9.9

To start working quickly and seriously

is about starting productive work without the rude forceful tone
to push into overdrive
vsto get in gear
6.1

To work much harder and faster to get something done

is about starting to work effectively rather than reaching extreme intensity

Antonyms

to slack off
  • Informal
3 3.9

To become less strong or busy

How Productive

to hustle
89 4.2
to get in gear
  • Informal
3 4.2
to get started
481 1.8
to dawdle
17 5.0
to laze
7 4.3

Surface Forms

get in gear infinitive
getting in gear present participle
gets in gear third person singular
got in gear past
gotten in gear past participle

Morphology

get + in + gear

The phrase uses a clear mechanical metaphor: 'gear' evokes machine parts that engage to start working, so a learner who knows the words can plausibly infer ‘begin to work or become active.’ However, this inference requires a metaphorical step (engagement of gears → becoming productive) and the preposition 'in' does not itself signal that meaning, so the phrase is not fully compositional and behaves somewhat idiomatically.

Etymology

The phrase get in gear may come from cars and bikes: when you put the gear in, the engine or pedals start to work and the vehicle begins to move. So, to get in gear means 'to begin to work well or become active'.