Phrase guide

second gear

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 second 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.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: second

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Mediocre, sluggish performance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, figuratively, idiomatic, uncountable

Examples

  • stuck in second gear

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: top gear

3

noun

Meaning 3

the gear that has the second lowest forward gear ratio in the gear box of a motor vehicle

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he had to shift down into second to make the hill

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: second

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: gear, gear mechanism

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

11 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: вто́ра преда́вка (vtóra predávka) — second lowest gear
  • Catalan: segona — second lowest gear
  • Finnish: kakkosvaihde — second lowest gear
  • Finnish: kakkonen — second lowest gear
  • Finnish: toinen vaihde — second lowest gear
  • German: zweiter Gang — second lowest gear
  • Macedonian: втора брзина (vtora brzina) — second lowest gear
  • Polish: drugi bieg — second lowest gear
  • Russian: втора́я переда́ча (vtorája peredáča) — second lowest gear
  • Finnish: vajaateho — mediocre performance
  • Polish: drugi bieg — mediocre performance