Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

manual transmission

American  

noun

  1. an automotive transmission in which the driver shifts gears manually.


Etymology

Origin of manual transmission

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

It also had a slick five-speed manual transmission, peppy engine and nimble steering.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 22, 2026

Simple actuators without this capability are a bit like manual transmission cars that need to be shifted into reverse.

From BBC Feb. 5, 2026

A motorcycle’s manual transmission plays a comparable role in handling.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 4, 2025

It also comes with a performance-tuned all-wheel-drive system and a standard six-speed manual transmission.

From Seattle Times Jan. 3, 2024

In that big field, the old man, whose name we learned after we agreed to buy the car was Ralph Mason, gave my dad a quick lesson in the vagaries of manual transmission.

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training