gear wheel

Other forms: gear wheels

Definitions of gear wheel

1. noun

   a toothed wheel that engages another toothed mechanism in order to change the speed or direction of transmitted motion
   synonyms: cogwheel, gear, geared wheel

   types:

   bevel gear, pinion and crown wheel, pinion and ring gear

   gears that mesh at an angle

   escape wheel

   gear that engages a rocking lever

   pinion

   a gear with a small number of teeth designed to mesh with a larger wheel or rack

   epicyclic gear, planet gear, planet wheel, planetary gear

   an outer gear that revolves about a central sun gear of an epicyclic train

   rack and pinion

   a wheel gear (the pinion) meshes with a toothed rack; converts rotary to reciprocating motion (and vice versa)

   spur gear, spur wheel

   gear wheels that mesh in the same plane

   sun gear

   the central gear in an epicyclic train

   worm gear

   gear consisting of a shaft with screw thread (the worm) that meshes with a toothed wheel (the worm wheel); changes the direction of the axis of rotary motion

   worm wheel

   gear with the thread of a worm

   differential, differential gear

   a bevel gear that permits rotation of two shafts at different speeds; used on the rear axle of automobiles to allow wheels to rotate at different speeds on curves

   lantern pinion, lantern wheel

   a small pinion having cylindrical bars instead of teeth, used chiefly in inexpensive clocks

   type of:

   wheel

   a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)