gear up

3 antonyms for gear up — opposites grouped by meaning.

Phrasal verb — To get ready for something demanding that is about to happen, or to get other people or an organisation ready for it.

Synonyms by Meaning

1. phrasal verb

To get ready for something demanding that is about to happen, or to get other people or an organisation ready for it.

“Retailers are already gearing up for Christmas.”

prepare get ready brace psych up mobilise

Opposites

wind down stand down

2. phrasal verb

To put on protective clothing or equipment before an activity.

“The crew geared up and went in through the smoke.”

kit up suit up equip

3. phrasal verb British, finance

In finance, to increase the proportion of borrowed money used to fund a business or investment.

“The fund geared up heavily before the rates rose.”

leverage up

Opposites

deleverage

Antonyms

wind down stand down deleverage

How to use gear up

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

gear up for gearing up to gear up for the season fully geared up

Informal to neutral. Almost always followed by for or to: gear up for a launch, gear up to expand.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between gear up and prepare?

They mean much the same, but gear up is informal and implies an intense, imminent effort — a season, a launch, a rush. Prepare is neutral and works for anything, including slow or routine readiness.

What is the opposite of gearing up?

In everyday use, winding down or standing down: reducing activity after a busy period. In finance the opposite is deleveraging or gearing down, meaning reducing borrowing relative to equity.

People also searched

prepare brace equip stand down deleverage mobilise

Nearby words

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