Definition

Noun: 1. A gear in a vehicle that allows it to move backwards: The mechanism in a transmission that, when engaged, causes the vehicle to travel in the opposite direction to its normal forward motion.

Usage

• The term "reverse gear" is used to describe the specific gear position and function.
• It is commonly used in the context of operating cars, trucks, and other machinery.
• It is often used with verbs like engage, put into, shift into, or select.

Examples

• "To park on a hill, you should engage the reverse gear and apply the handbrake."
• "The car made a loud grinding noise when he forced it into reverse gear while it was still moving forward."
• "She shifted into reverse gear and carefully backed out of the driveway."

Advanced Usage

• "To put something into reverse gear" (idiomatic): To cause a process or situation to move backwards or to undo progress.
  • Example: "The new policy has put our environmental efforts into reverse gear."

Variants and Related Words

• Reverse (noun): A shorter, common synonym for "reverse gear."
  • Example: "Put the car in reverse."
• Backward gear: A less common descriptive synonym.
• Transmission: The assembly that contains the reverse gear and other gears.

Synonyms

• Backing gear
• Reverse

Antonyms

• Drive gear
• Forward gear

Related Phrases

• In reverse: Operating in or using the reverse gear.
  • Example: "The truck was moving in reverse."
• Reverse lights: The white lights on the back of a vehicle that illuminate when reverse gear is selected.

Noun

1. the gears by which the motion of a machine can be reversed