rack

[ rak ]

/ ræk /

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See synonyms for: rack / racked / racking on Thesaurus.com

noun

a framework of bars, wires, or pegs on which articles are arranged or deposited: a clothes rack; a luggage rack.

a fixture containing several tiered shelves, often affixed to a wall: a book rack;a spice rack.

a spreading framework set on a wagon for carrying hay, straw, or the like, in large loads: It's an old wagon, but the bale rack is new.

Pool.

a wooden frame of triangular shape within which the balls are arranged before play: When not in use, please return the rack to its peg on the wall.
the balls so arranged: He took aim at the rack.

Machinery.

a bar, with teeth on one of its sides, adapted to engage with the teeth of a pinion (rack and pinion ) or the like, as for converting circular into rectilinear motion or vice versa: When the pinion mounted to the locomotive engages with the rack between the rails, the train can ascend a steep slope.
a bar having a series of notches engaging with a pawl or the like: Instead of a round gear, this ratchet has a linear rack with which the pawl makes contact.

a former instrument of torture consisting of a framework on which a victim was tied, often spread-eagled, by the wrists and ankles, to be slowly stretched by spreading the parts of the framework: The racks were unspeakably horrid devices used for centuries throughout Europe.

a cause or state of intense suffering of body or mind.

torment; anguish.

violent strain.

a pair of antlers: What hunting lodge would be complete without an eight-point rack mounted above the fireplace?

Slang: Vulgar. a woman's breasts.

Slang. a bed, cot, or bunk:I spent all afternoon in the rack.

verb (used with object)

to torture; distress acutely; torment: His body was racked with pain.

to strain in mental effort: to rack one's brains.

to strain by physical force or violence: Was this suspect racked into a confession?

to strain beyond what is normal or usual: This extreme exercise is racking your muscles.

to stretch the body of (a person) in torture by means of a rack: taken to the dungeon to be racked.

Nautical. to seize (two ropes) together side by side: Rack those lines, mate!

Verb Phrases

rack out, Slang. to go to bed; go to sleep: I racked out all afternoon.

rack up,

Pool. to put (the balls) in a rack: You rack 'em up, and I'll break.
Informal. to tally, accumulate, or amass, as an achievement or score: The corporation racked up the greatest profits in its history.

OTHER WORDS FOR rack

7 torture, pain, agony, tribulation, ordeal.

See synonyms for rack on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of rack

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun rakke, rekke, from Middle Dutch rac, rec, recke; compare Middle Low German reck, German Reck

synonym study for rack

13. See torment.

OTHER WORDS FROM rack

rack·ing·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH rack

rack , wrack

Words nearby rack

racing flag, racing form, racing skate, racism, racist, rack, rack and pinion, rack and ruin, go to, rackboard, rack car, racket

Other definitions for rack (2 of 6)

rack²

[ rak ]

/ ræk /

noun

ruin or destruction; wrack:We found our boat in a complete state of rack.

Verb Phrases

rack up, Slang. to wreck, especially a vehicle: People don't realize how easy it is to rack up a car in this fog.

Origin of rack

First recorded in 1590–1600; variant of wrack

Other definitions for rack (3 of 6)

rack³

[ rak ]

/ ræk /

noun

the fast pace of a horse in which the legs move in lateral pairs but not simultaneously: Playing the video in slow motion catches each footfall in the horse's rack.

verb (used without object)

(of horses) to move in a rack: a group of mustangs racking at top speed.

Origin of rack

First recorded in 1570–80; perhaps variant of rock²

Other definitions for rack (4 of 6)

rack⁴

[ rak ]

/ ræk /

noun

Also called cloud rack . a group of drifting clouds: The first rays of dawn struggle to pierce the dreary rack of storm clouds.

verb (used without object)

be driven or moved, as a cloud, before the wind: a wispy train of clouds racking to our west.

Also wrack .

Origin of rack

⁴

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English rak, reck(e); further origin uncertain

Other definitions for rack (5 of 6)

rack⁵

[ rak ]

/ ræk /

verb (used with object)

to draw off (wine, cider, etc.) from the lees: How recently was this wine racked into a clean barrel?

Origin of rack

⁵

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Old French; compare obsolete French raqué “(of wine) pressed from the dregs of grapes”

Other definitions for rack (6 of 6)

rack⁶

[ rak ]

/ ræk /

noun

the rib section of a foresaddle of lamb, mutton, pork, or sometimes veal: a roasted rack of lamb with potatoes and asparagus.

(formerly) the neck portion of mutton, pork, or veal.

Origin of rack

⁶

First recorded in 1560–70; origin uncertain

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

MORE ABOUT RACK

What is a basic definition of rack?

A rack is a fixture or structure on which things are hung or stored. To rack is to torture or to strain. The word rack has several other senses as a noun and a verb.

Racks look different depending on what they are designed to hold, but they all serve generally the same function—storage. Racks come in two main styles. It can be a structure made of hooks, pegs, or bars that stick out so things can be hung from them, or it can be a shelf you put things on.

Real-life examples: Coat racks, hat racks, and guitar racks are used to store the things they are named after and may be mounted on walls. Spice racks, magazine racks, and book racks resemble shelves and are often made of plastic or metal. An oven rack is designed to place a baking pan or other ovenware on so that the oven’s heat moves all around the container.
Used in a sentence: I left my jacket on the coat rack by the door.

As a verb, rack means to torture. In a similar sense, rack is used figuratively to mean to cause mental stress or strain.

Used in a sentence: After the car accident, I spent weeks in the hospital and my body was racked with pain.

In this sense, the word rack was used as the name of a medieval torture device. A person placed on the rack would be painfully stretched until their joints were dislocated.

Where does rack come from?

The first records of the term rack come from around 1250. It comes from the Middle Dutch rec, meaning “framework.” It is related to Old High German recchen, meaning “to stretch.”

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to rack?

racking (noun)
rackingly (adverb)

What are some synonyms for rack?

What are some words that share a root or word element with rack?

What are some words that often get used in discussing rack?

What are some words rack may be commonly confused with?

wrack

How is rack used in real life?

Rack is a word used to refer to many different objects or structures designed to hold or store things.

If the Groundhog sees its shadow, I’m keeping the snowboard rack on my Toyota for another six weeks. #GroundHogDay

— Toyota Latino (@ToyotaLatino) February 2, 2013

The Herculean effort it takes to put the bikes on the bike rack on our car makes me hate bikes, racks, cars and the word "on."

— Jon Acuff (@JonAcuff) January 16, 2015

What's it called when you get tips from your spice rack? SAGE advice! Ahhhh! #WockaWocka!

— Fozzie Bear (@FozzieBear) November 21, 2015

Try using rack!

True or False?

A magazine rack is an object that is designed to hold hats.

How to use rack in a sentence

At an Albertson’s in South San Francisco, for example, customers blithely shop around an automated rack-and-tote system at the store’s center that preps orders for pickup and delivery.
That Whole Foods is an Amazon warehouse; get used to it|Connie Loizos|September 4, 2020|TechCrunch
The decree also put in place an early warning system for officers racking up use-of-force incidents at a high rate.
What Can Mayors Do When the Police Stop Doing Their Jobs?|by Alec MacGillis|September 3, 2020|ProPublica
I’m eyeing Tern’s HSD, which can stand vertically on its rear rack, with fold-down handlebars for the smallest storage footprint possible.
Do You Want to Buy an E-Cargo Bike? Read This First.|Joe Lindsey|August 30, 2020|Outside Online
Throughout the course of your day you’ll tend to be four or five out of a five-scale on average, but it doesn’t mean you don’t rack up ones and twos and threes.
Are You Yoda or Darth Vader? - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Brian Gallagher|August 26, 2020|Nautilus

Make things complicatedEven if you’ve got no decent option to lock your bike to, like a rack or a lamppost, you’re never out of options.
The most secure ways to lock up your bike|By Michael Frank/Cycle Volta|August 26, 2020|Popular-Science
Bake on the center rack of the oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until set.
Make ‘The Chew’s’ Carla Hall’s Pumpkin Pecan Pie|Carla Hall|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The clever crooks managed to rack up $2 million in profits over a year, Ares said.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks|M.L. Nestel|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Whereas other brands purchase their barrels from big producers more or less off the rack, The Macallan starts in the forest.
How Much Do Whisky Casks Really Affect Taste?||December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He put them in glamorous gowns, yes, but also encouraged them to buy trendier ready-to-wear labels off the rack.
How Oscar de la Renta Created First Lady Fashion|Raquel Laneri|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jenny and Ichabod rack their brains before eventually deciding to hunt for the missing Franklin documents at the archives.
Naked Ben Franklin Christens the Campy Return of ‘Sleepy Hollow’|Amy Zimmerman|September 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The whole thing begins to have a jigsaw look, like a child's toy rack with wooden soldiers on it, expanding and contracting.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
They were condemned on confessions of Islamism and paganism, extorted by the rack, and afterwards retracted.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
The equilibrium valve is unchanged, except that the rack is taken out and a link put in.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
The exhaust-valve is exactly as when it was put in, worked by a rack-and-tooth segment.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
Best of all, there hung upon the wall of this chamber a little book-rack filled with well-selected literature.
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond

British Dictionary definitions for rack (1 of 6)

rack¹

/ (ræk) /

noun

a framework for holding, carrying, or displaying a specific load or objecta plate rack; a hat rack; a hay rack; a luggage rack

a toothed bar designed to engage a pinion to form a mechanism that will interconvert rotary and rectilinear motions

a framework fixed to an aircraft for carrying bombs, rockets, etc

the rack an instrument of torture that stretched the body of the victim

a cause or state of mental or bodily stress, suffering, etc; anguish; torment (esp in the phrase on the rack)

slang, mainly US a woman's breasts

US and Canadian (in pool, snooker, etc)

the triangular frame used to arrange the balls for the opening shot
the balls so groupedBrit equivalent: frame

verb (tr)

to torture on the rack

Also: wrack to cause great stress or suffering toguilt racked his conscience

Also: wrack to strain or shake (something) violently, as by great physical forcethe storm racked the town

to place or arrange in or on a rackto rack bottles of wine

to move (parts of machinery or a mechanism) using a toothed rack

to raise (rents) exorbitantly; rack-rent

rack one's brains to strain in mental effort, esp to remember something or to find the solution to a problem

Derived forms of rack

racker, noun

Word Origin for rack

C14 rekke, probably from Middle Dutch rec framework; related to Old High German recchen to stretch, Old Norse rekja to spread out

undefined rack

See wrack 1

British Dictionary definitions for rack (2 of 6)

rack²

/ (ræk) /

noun

destruction; wreck (obsolete except in the phrase go to rack and ruin)

Word Origin for rack

C16: variant of wrack 1

British Dictionary definitions for rack (3 of 6)

rack³

/ (ræk) /

noun

another word for single-foot, a gait of the horse

Word Origin for rack

C16: perhaps based on rock ²

British Dictionary definitions for rack (4 of 6)

rack⁴

/ (ræk) /

noun

a group of broken clouds moving in the wind

verb

(intr) (of clouds) to be blown along by the wind

Word Origin for rack

Old English wrǣc what is driven; related to Gothic wraks persecutor, Swedish vrak wreckage

British Dictionary definitions for rack (5 of 6)

rack⁵

/ (ræk) /

verb (tr)

to clear (wine, beer, etc) as by siphoning it off from the dregs

to fill a container with (beer, wine, etc)

Word Origin for rack

C15: from Old Provençal arraca, from raca dregs of grapes after pressing

British Dictionary definitions for rack (6 of 6)

rack⁶

/ (ræk) /

noun

the neck or rib section of mutton, pork, or veal

Word Origin for rack

Old English hrace; related to Old High German rahho, Danish harke, Swedish harkla to clear one's throat

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with rack

rack

In addition to the idioms beginning with rack

rack and ruin, go to
rack one's brain
rack out
rack up

also see:

on the rack

rack

OTHER WORDS FOR rack

Origin of rack

synonym study for rack

OTHER WORDS FROM rack

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH rack

Words nearby rack

Other definitions for rack (2 of 6)

Origin of rack

Other definitions for rack (3 of 6)

Origin of rack

Other definitions for rack (4 of 6)

Origin of rack

Other definitions for rack (5 of 6)

Origin of rack

Other definitions for rack (6 of 6)

Origin of rack

MORE ABOUT RACK

What is a basic definition of rack?

Where does rack come from?

Did you know ... ?

How is rack used in real life?

Try using rack!

Words related to rack

How to use rack in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rack (1 of 6)

Derived forms of rack

Word Origin for rack

undefined rack

British Dictionary definitions for rack (2 of 6)

Word Origin for rack

British Dictionary definitions for rack (3 of 6)

Word Origin for rack

British Dictionary definitions for rack (4 of 6)

Word Origin for rack

British Dictionary definitions for rack (5 of 6)

Word Origin for rack

British Dictionary definitions for rack (6 of 6)

Word Origin for rack

Other Idioms and Phrases with rack