worm gear

or wormgear

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noun

a mechanism consisting of a worm engaging with and driving a worm wheel, the two axes usually being at right angles, used where a relatively low speed and a relatively large amplification of power are desired.

Also called worm wheel. a gear wheel driven by a worm.

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Origin of worm gear

First recorded in 1875–80

Words nearby worm gear

worm-eaten, wormery, worm fence, wormfish, wormfly, worm gear, worm grass, wormhole, worm into, worm lizard, worm out of

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use worm gear in a sentence

And so, he says he left prison without proper ID, just his release papers and the “dress-out gear” he was given by the state.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We, on the other hand, on the police side, will naturally gear up to deal with any potential contingency that might occur.
After No Indictment for Eric Garner Killer, Is NYC the Next Ferguson?|Jacob Siegel|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The best thing about winter is seeing all the cute kids bundled up in their cold-weather gear.
The Daily Beast’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide: For the Blue Ivy in Your Life|Allison McNearney|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These self-dubbed gear heads go toe to toe (or perhaps more accurately, crash to crash), with the men in the sport.
The Moms of Monster Jam Drive Trucks, Buck Macho Culture|Eliza Krigman|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Photos he would share on Facebook this year show Hauchard in Raqqa, wearing combat gear and wielding a variety of heavy weapons.
Showing the Faces of Its Murderers, ISIS Shows Its Global Reach|Tracy McNicoll|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The controlling leaders being out of gear the machine did not run smoothly: there was nothing but friction and tension.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Although everybody laughed at such a notion, the Worm-eating Warbler declared that he had a right to his own belief.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
It was no worm that Mrs. Robin had found, but Grandfather Mole's hairless tail sticking out of the ground.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
For Mrs. Robin had an end of a pinkish-white worm in her bill, on which she was tugging as hard as she could.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
When he was interviewed, fearsome in manner as he was, he sent the worm away packed with ideas and phrases.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for worm gear

worm gear

noun

a device consisting of a threaded shaft (worm) that mates with a gearwheel (worm wheel) so that rotary motion can be transferred between two shafts at right angles to each other

Also called: worm wheel a gearwheel driven by a threaded shaft or worm

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012