Phrase guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
noun
The fourth of the available gears in a transmission or other gearbox.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: fourth
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A maximal level of effort.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, dated, idiomatic, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: top gear, overdrive, full throttle
Antonyms: none provided
History
The figurative sense reflects that in some times and places, fourth gear was the highest gear that a car could achieve; compare French en quatrième vitesse.
Across languages
3 source translations are retained for this English entry.
