Upgear

verb

verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To shift to a higher gear ambitransitive

    "The air-cooled two-cylinder engine is less obtrusive than one might expect, thanks to vacuum control which automatically upgears the car and holds down the speed of the 746-cc engine."

  2. 2
    To shift to a higher level or standard; upgrade broadly

    "Cam will help but you'd need to upgear a tire size to capitalize on it."

  3. 3
    To move to an elevated level of activity, performance, or intensity figuratively

    "The vicious cycle of repression was upgeared and intensified."

Example

More examples

"The air-cooled two-cylinder engine is less obtrusive than one might expect, thanks to vacuum control which automatically upgears the car and holds down the speed of the 746-cc engine."

Etymology

From up- + gear.

Related phrases

gear up

More for "upgear"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.