Phrase guide

gear lever

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

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

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The lever used to change gears in a motor vehicle.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, especially

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gear stick, gear shift, shifter, shift lever

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: shifter

2

noun

Meaning 2

The lever used to change gears on other types of machines, such as a machine tool.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a mechanical device for engaging and disengaging gears

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • in Britain they call a gearshift a gear lever

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gearshift, gearstick, shifter

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mechanical device

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

39 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: rathefboom — lever used to change gears
  • Danish: gearstang — lever used to change gears
  • Dutch: versnellingspook — lever used to change gears
  • Faroese: gervisstong — lever used to change gears
  • Faroese: girstong — lever used to change gears
  • Finnish: vaihdekeppi — lever used to change gears
  • Finnish: vaihteenvalitsin — lever used to change gears
  • French: levier de vitesses — lever used to change gears
  • German: Schalthebel — lever used to change gears
  • German: Schaltknüppel — lever used to change gears
  • Icelandic: gírstöng — lever used to change gears
  • Italian: leva del cambio — lever used to change gears
  • Japanese: 変速レバー (hensoku rebā) — lever used to change gears
  • Japanese: シフトレバー (shifuto rebā) — lever used to change gears
  • Korean: 기어 스틱 (gieo seutik) — lever used to change gears
  • Korean: 기어 레버 (gieo rebeo) — lever used to change gears
  • Korean: 기어시프트 (gieosipeuteu) — lever used to change gears
  • Norwegian Bokmål: girspak — lever used to change gears
  • Norwegian Bokmål: girstang — lever used to change gears
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: girspak — lever used to change gears
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: girstang — lever used to change gears
  • Polish: dźwignia zmiany biegów — lever used to change gears
  • Portuguese: alavanca de câmbio — lever used to change gears
  • Portuguese: câmbio — lever used to change gears
  • Portuguese: manete de mudanças — lever used to change gears
  • Portuguese: seletor de marchas — lever used to change gears
  • Romanian: schimbător — lever used to change gears
  • Romanian: schimbător de viteze — lever used to change gears
  • Romanian: levier de viteze — lever used to change gears
  • Russian: рыча́г переключе́ния переда́ч (ryčág pereključénija peredáč) — lever used to change gears
  • Spanish: palanca de cambios — lever used to change gears
  • Spanish: cambio de marchas — lever used to change gears
  • Spanish: drive — lever used to change gears
  • Spanish: draiv — lever used to change gears
  • Swedish: växelspak — lever used to change gears
  • Tagalog: kambyo — lever used to change gears
  • Turkish: kol — lever used to change gears
  • Turkish: vites — lever used to change gears
  • Turkish: vites kolu — lever used to change gears