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rack

noun · verb

Simple meaning

Any of different kinds of frame for holding luggage or other objects on a vehicle or vessel.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

rak
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɹæk

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. Any of various kinds of frame for holding luggage or other objects on a vehicle or vessel.

  2. Framework for holding objects

  3. nautical

    A piece or frame of wood, having several sheaves, through which the running rigging passes.

  4. Thin, flying, broken clouds, or any portion of floating vapour in the sky.

  5. A cranequin, a mechanism including a rack, pinion and pawl, providing both mechanical advantage and a ratchet, used to bend and cock a crossbow.

  6. A fast amble.

verb

  1. To cause (someone) to suffer pain.

  2. Stretch to the limits

  3. figurative

    To stretch or strain; to harass, or oppress by extortion.

  4. To drive; move; go forward rapidly; stir.

  5. To fly, as vapour or broken clouds.

  6. of a horse

    To amble fast, causing a rocking or swaying motion of the body; to pace.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A2 · Elementary (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
General English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A piece or frame of wood, having several sheaves, through which the running rigging passes.

Used this way, rack is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a nautical use: it is standard at sea and largely unfamiliar ashore.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Specialist/technical
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Specialized
Connotation
Clinical and technical
Usage feel
Technical and specialized

Where it naturally appears

  • Sailing/maritime
  • Technical/specialist writing

Usage note

In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use rack

  • “The newspapers were arranged on a rack.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Framework / various

luggage rack

Piece or frame

towel rack

Other combinations

magazine rackcoat rackrack rateshat rackwire rackcooling rack

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • rack rentnounCompound term

    An extortionate rent.

  • rack upverbCompound term

    Gain points in a game.

  • rack and pinionnounCompound term

    A wheel gear (the pinion) meshes with a toothed rack.

  • rack of lambnounCompound term

    A roast of the rib section of lamb.

  • rack railwaynounCompound term

    Railway for steep mountains.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.