race

1 of 3

noun (1)

plural races
1
a
see usage paragraph below : any one of the groups that humans are often divided into based on physical traits regarded as common among people of shared ancestry
It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer … to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual … because of such individual's race, color, religion, sex, or national origin …Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, United States Code
… family trees made more complicated by the intersection of different racesMichael A. Chaney
First, the [2020 US Census] question [about race] is based on how you identify. Second, the race categories generally reflect social definitions in the U.S. and are not an attempt to define race biologically, anthropologically, or genetically. We recognize that the race categories include racial and national origins and sociocultural groups.United States Census Bureau
To the extent that economic opportunity is expanded, race relations are improved.Tom McClintock
also : the fact of dividing people, or of people being divided, into such groups : categorization by race
The Army will remove photographs of candidates in promotion board hearings … as part of an effort to address why so many black officers are being passed over in favor of their white counterparts … . The removal of photos by the military's largest service is a tacit acknowledgment of how much race still plays a part in decisions about who should advance. Helene Cooper
The U.S. is going through a social and political upheaval, offering an opportunity to undertake a necessary, hard look at the role of race in defining what kind of a nation the U.S. is now and has been historically. William C. Danvers
Even when a new show promises to break new ground … we are forced to swallow more of the same—a general erasure or ignorance of race. Roxane Gay
b
dated : a group of people sharing a common cultural, geographical, linguistic, or religious origin or background
The Yorkshire type had always been the strongest of the British strains; the Norwegian and the Dane were a different race from the Saxon.Henry Adams
… this girl, Dolores by name, and a Catalonian by raceCharlotte Brontë
c
archaic : the descendants of a common ancestor : a group sharing a common lineage
… by descent I am the head not only of my own race, which ends with me, but of the Haughton family, of which, though your line assumed the name, it was but a younger branch.Edward Bulwer-Lytton
This forest was adjacent to the chief haunts of the MacGregors, or a particular race of them, known by the title of MacEagh …Sir Walter Scott
2
a
: a group of living things considered as a category
… the whole race of mankind … stumbling and blundering along the path of life …Anne Brontë
… Nan denounced the entire race of boys as "plaguey things."Louisa May Alcott
… countless asters, … tansies, golden-rods, and the whole race of yellow flowers …Henry David Thoreau
… full many a man loves his dog better than the rest of mankind, and so the devotion of the race of dogs finds return and recompense.Wardon Allan Curtis
Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt star in a sci-fi thriller set in the near future, when an alien race has attacked Earth.Barbara Vancheri
When the last century ended, humans could not even fly. In the 20th century, the human race went to the moon and began to explore the stars.sfgate.com
b
archaic : breed
Under these conditions, a race of highly … delicate, and gentle cattle had been developed.Henry E. Alvord
c
obsolete : the act of breeding or producing offspring
Male he created thee, but thy consort female for raceJohn Milton
It behooveth therefore that the Mares appointed for race, be well compacted, of a decent quality, … in age not under three nor above ten years old.Edward Topsell
3
biology : a group within a species that is distinguishable (as morphologically, genetically, or behaviorally) from others of the same species
This quail species is diverse and can be classified into 21 recognized geographic races in North America …Eric T. Thacker and Tim L. Springer
also : a usually informal taxonomic category representing such a group that is often considered equivalent to a subspecies
4
archaic : a group of people sharing some habit or characteristic (such as profession or belief)
… the whole race of politicians put together.Jonathan Swift
The Apostles, though they were fishers too, were of the solemn race of sea-fishers …Henry David Thoreau
… the race of domestic clowns or jesters, maintained in the houses of the wealthy …Sir Walter Scott
… to become a Dissenter seemed to him identical with choosing God instead of mammon. That race of Dissenters is extinct in these days, when opinion has got far ahead of feeling …George Eliot
… our daughters haunt the town as if searching for something they missed, walking up beside the rocks with books in their arms like a race of little nuns.John Updike
5
obsolete : temperament, disposition
And now I give my sensual race the rein …William Shakespeare
Usage of Race

Sense 1a of this entry describes the word race as it is most frequently used: to refer to the various groups that humans are often divided into based on physical traits, these traits being regarded as common among people of a shared ancestry. This use of race dates to the late 18th century, and was for many years applied in scientific fields such as physical anthropology, with race differentiation being based on such qualities as skin color, hair form, head shape, and particular sets of cranial dimensions. Advances in the field of genetics in the late 20th century determined no biological basis for races in this sense of the word, as all humans alive today share 99.99% of their genetic material. For this reason, the concept of distinct human races today has little scientific standing, and is instead understood as primarily a sociological designation, identifying a group sharing some outward physical characteristics and some commonalities of culture and history.

race

2 of 3

noun (2)

plural races
1
a
: a competition between people, animals, vehicles, etc., to determine which one is the fastest : a contest of speed
runners in a race
a bicycle race
… only eight of the 26 cars that began the race were running at the end, through streets that were better suited to conveying rattletrap taxicabs than million-dollar race cars.Sam Moses
b
: a contest or competition in which different people, groups, or teams try to win something or to do something first
a tight race for governor
the race to create a vaccine
a baseball pennant race
often used figuratively to suggest that something (such as life itself) is like a contest or competition
He discussed terms for publishing his book. But over his face was that gossamery look of having dropped out of the race of progress, which made the vulgar city people feel they had won it over him …D. H. Lawrence
… men in the race of life, sink from the high and generous ideals of youth to the gambler's code of the Bourse; and in all our Nation's striving is not the Gospel of Work befouled by the Gospel of Pay?W. E. B. Du Bois
In contemporary middle-class American culture, parenting is seen as an awesome responsibility, an unforgiving vigil to keep the helpless infant from falling behind in the great race of life.Steven Pinker
c
races plural : an event at which there is a series of horse races
a trip to the races
2
a
literary : a set course (such as the apparent movement of the sun along a path over the period of a day) or a duration of time
Till a sun whose race is ending / Sees the rival stars contendingEdward Bulwer-Lytton
If the midnight bell / Did with his iron tongue and brazen mouth / Sound on into the drowsy race of nightWilliam Shakespeare
b
archaic : a person's progression through life or through a period in life
… voices from the great cloud of witnesses who ever surround us in the race of life.Harriet Beecher Stowe
3
: a track or channel in which something rolls or slides
specifically : a groove for the balls in a ball bearing or rollers in a roller bearing
The bearing has already spalled which is why it's making noise. No … additive can fix that, nor can it remove the particles of bearing race and roller from the lube in your differential housing. B. Howing
see roller bearing illustration
4
a
: a strong or rapid current of water that flows through a narrow channel
b
: a watercourse used or made for an industrial purpose (such as mining or for turning the waterwheel of a mill)
Close to the furnace site today, on public park property, are the remains of the old facility's dam and water race.Maryland Magazine

see also a race against time

race

3 of 3

verb

raced; racing

intransitive verb

1
: to compete in a race
2
: to go, move, or function at top speed or out of control
people racing for safety
struggled to sleep as his mind raced
3
: to revolve too fast under a diminished load

transitive verb

1
: to engage in a race with
2
a
: to enter in a race
b
: to drive or ride at high speed
c
: to transport or propel at maximum speed
3
: to speed (an engine) without a working load or with the transmission disengaged

Examples of race in a Sentence

Verb Eight horses will race for the cup. That horse will never race again. She's going to race the champion. They raced each other home. I'll race you to see who gets there first. She races cars for a living. The flood raced through the valley. The truck's engine was racing. The dog raced ahead of me.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Walker, at one point a frontrunner in his race, ran for about two months. Journal Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2024 Gut feelings and intuition Michigan’s project proposal was one of eight selected by the American Bar Association’s Center on Children and the Law, which received funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to address race equity in the country’s child welfare systems. Jennifer Brookland, Detroit Free Press, 4 Mar. 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones’ tenure bid at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill stalled in 2021 because of her work with the 1619 Project, a collection of essays on race. Terry Tang, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024 Lee, who has remained behind Schiff and Porter throughout the long race, received 8%, while 12% of likely voters picked a different candidate and 9% were undecided. Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024 After the big race, Caruth thanked his parents for supporting his love for the sport. Melissa Noel, Essence, 4 Mar. 2024 The Hendrick Motorsports veteran had the fastest car throughout Sunday afternoon’s NASCAR Cup Series race. Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 4 Mar. 2024 Indeed, a film must have a story and characters for every moviegoer, regardless of gender, age, race or class. Bob Verini, Variety, 21 Feb. 2024 Byron will attempt to win back-to-back races when the Cup Series takes the green flag for another restrictor plate race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. Joseph Wolkin, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
Verb
Negotiators are racing to reach a deal that would pair a pause in fighting with the release of Israeli hostages held in the enclave before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins Sunday. Aj Willingham, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 In Florida, a cancer center is racing to find money for chemotherapy drugs to avoid delaying critical treatments for its patients. Julie Creswell, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Not all Bay Area residents were looking to flee the region, and more than a handful were racing to embrace an epic snowfall that promised premium skiing and snowboarding for the foreseeable future. Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 The group chatted, catching up on gossip, as the kids raced between the river and the sea. Mya Guarnieri, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024 The movie, which grossed more than $626 million worldwide, per Deadline, marked a transition in the series from a focus on street racing to action and heists. Adam England, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024 In 1991, the marque commissioned Mahlangu to paint a BMW 525i Art Car, which later competed at 24 Hours of Le Mans racing. Nargess Banks, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 She’s played doubles with British tennis star Emma Raducanu, crewed in the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix and raced her husband, Prince William, on spin bikes. Samantha Chery, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024 Microsoft and Meta are the largest customers of Nvidia’s $30,000 H100 chip, which powers the AI products both companies are racing to develop. Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'race.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle French, generation, from Old Italian razza

Noun (2)

Middle English ras, from Old Norse rās; akin to Old English rǣs rush

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1c

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of race was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near race

Cite this Entry

“Race.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/race. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

race

1 of 3 noun
1
: a strong or rapid current of water or its channel
2
a
: a contest of speed
b
: a contest involving progress toward a goal
the race for governor

race

2 of 3 verb
raced; racing
1
: to take part in a race
2
: to go, move, or function at top speed
people racing for safety
a heart racing from excitement
3
: to take part in a race against
I'll race you home
4
: to cause the engine of a motor vehicle to go fast especially when in neutral

race

3 of 3 noun
1
a
: a group of people of common ancestry or stock
the English race
scion of a noble race
b
: a class or kind of people unified by common interests, habits, or characteristics
a new race of scientists
2
a
: a variety or breed of animals or plants
b
: a category of humankind that shares certain distinctive physical traits
3
: a major group of living things
the human race
Etymology

Noun

Middle English ras "the act of running, a rapid current of water," of Norse origin

Noun

from early French race "generation," from early Italian razza (same meaning)

Medical Definition

race

noun
1
: a group within a species that is distinguishable (as morphologically, genetically, or behaviorally) from others of the same species
This quail species is diverse and can be classified into 21 recognized geographic races in North America …Eric T. Thacker and Tim L. Springer
also : a usually informal taxonomic category representing such a group that is often considered equivalent to a subspecies
2
: any one of the groups that humans are often divided into based on physical traits regarded as common among people of shared ancestry

More from Merriam-Webster on race

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