rack

1 of 9

noun (1)

ˈrak 

1

: a framework, stand, or grating on or in which articles are placed

2

: an instrument of torture on which a body is stretched

3

a(1)

: a cause of anguish or pain

(2)

: acute suffering

b

: the action of straining or wrenching

4

a

: a bar with teeth on one face for gearing with a pinion or worm gear to transform rotary motion to linear motion or vice versa (as in an automobile steering mechanism)

b

: a notched bar used as a ratchet to engage with a pawl, click, or detent

5

: a pair of antlers

6

: bed, sack

7

: a triangular frame used to set up the balls in a pool game

also : the balls as set up

8

: a framework for holding fodder for livestock

rackful

ˈrak-ˌfu̇l 

noun

rack

2 of 9

verb (1)

racked; racking; racks

transitive verb

1

: to cause to suffer torture, pain, anguish, or ruin

2

: to place (balls, such as pool balls) in a rack

3

a

: to stretch or strain violently

b

: to raise (rents) oppressively

c

: to harass or oppress with high rents or extortions

4

: to torture on the rack

5

: to work or treat (material) on a rack

6

: to work by a rack and pinion or worm so as to extend or contract

rack a camera

7

: to seize (ropes, such as parallel ropes of a tackle) together

intransitive verb

: to become forced out of shape or out of plumb

racker noun

rackingly

ˈra-kiŋ-lē 

adverb

rack

3 of 9

noun (2)

1

: the rib section of a lamb's forequarters used for chops or as a roast see lamb illustration

2

: the neck and spine of a forequarter of veal, pork, or especially mutton

rack

4 of 9

noun (3)

: destruction

rack and ruin

rack

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noun (4)

: either of two gaits of a horse:

a

: pace sense 4b

b

: a fast showy 4-beat gait similar to the pace but in which the feet of the same side do not touch down at the same time

rack

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verb (2)

racked; racking; racks

intransitive verb

of a horse

: to go at a rack

rack

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noun (5)

: a wind-driven mass of high often broken clouds

rack

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verb (3)

racked; racking; racks

intransitive verb

: to fly or scud in high wind

rack

9 of 9

verb (4)

racked; racking; racks

transitive verb

: to draw off (wine) from the lees

Phrases

on the rack

: under great emotional stress

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you rack or wrack your brain?

Wrack and rack are etymologically distinct, meaning they come from different words. Many usage guides will advise that you should use wrack for meanings such as "to utterly ruin," and rack for "to cause to suffer torture, pain, anguish, or ruin." If you follow this advice, the proper choice for what you do to your brain when thinking very hard is rack. However, wrack has long been used as a variant of rack, and numerous fine writers have avowedly wracked their brains or found something nerve-wracking.

Is it racked or wracked with pain?

Some guides feel that "racked with pain" is the preferable choice, although wrack is in many cases an acceptable variant. The verbs are often conflated despite their very different origins (the former from Middle Dutch rekken, meaning "to stretch," and the latter from the Middle English word for shipwreck, wrak).

"Do you rack up or wrack up debts?"

While there are a number of settings in which wrack is considered an acceptable variant of rack, the accumulation of debts is not one of them. In this context rack up typically means "to achieve, score; to accumulate."

Synonyms

Noun (5)

• bed
• bunk
• doss [chiefly British]
• hay [slang]
• kip
• lair [British dialect]
• pad
• sack

Verb (3)

• afflict
• agonize
• anguish
• bedevil
• beset
• besiege
• curse
• excruciate
• harrow
• persecute
• plague
• torment
• torture

Choose the Right Synonym for rack

afflict, try, torment, torture, rack mean to inflict on a person something that is hard to bear.

afflict is a general term and applies to the causing of pain or suffering or of acute annoyance, embarrassment, or any distress.

ills that afflict the elderly

try suggests imposing something that strains the powers of endurance or of self-control.

children often try their parents' patience

torment suggests persecution or the repeated inflicting of suffering or annoyance.

a horse tormented by flies

torture adds the implication of causing unbearable pain or suffering.

tortured by a sense of guilt

rack stresses straining or wrenching.

a body racked by pain

Examples of rack in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This nonstick roasting pan and wire rack from The Pioneer Woman can accommodate whole birds and hams and has impressed home cooks with its durability and effortless cleanup. —Ali Faccenda, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2024

Inside the black-and-white shop are racks of 20- and 21st-century designers that are best seen during a private appointment with the founder. —Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2024

Transferring them to a wire rack allows air to circulate around the cookies to cool them. —Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 18 Apr. 2024

Serve immediately topped with your favorite toppings, or place waffles directly onto wire rack of oven set to 200 degrees to keep warm until serving. —Laura McLively, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024

Stylists rolled racks of tweed pants and natty cardigans into the studio—ivory-tower drag for the band. —Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

Remove muffins from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour. —Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024

This is followed by the main course—a rotation that includes British Columbian sablefish, duck confit, and mole-spiced rack of lamb from a neighboring rancher. —John Briley, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024

Servers are built differently, racks of power-hungry GPUs require new cooling methods, networking is reaching nearly unimaginable speeds, and keeping clusters of AI computing resources fed with data disrupts traditional approaches to storage. —Steve McDowell, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Verb

This month, Nigeria has been racked by multiple abductions. —Rachel Chason, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2024

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, their new $325-million pitcher, was racked for five runs in the first inning in his major league debut. —Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024

The office was racked by personnel issues and buckling under the weight of identifying and prosecuting Jan. 6 rioters — an investigation that became the largest ever undertaken by the department. —Adam Goldman, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024

Photographers are likely to opt for nonlinear focus, in which slower turns make fine adjustments and quicker ones rack across the focus range more aggressively. —PCMAG, 28 Mar. 2024

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 250 degrees. —Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 28 Mar. 2024

Cover the ham and rack with aluminum foil to keep in moisture. —Patricia S York, Southern Living, 6 Feb. 2024

Step 2: Remove the lower dishwasher rack or roll out of the way. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 17 Mar. 2024

Jose Gutierrez Ojeda initially brandished a pistol and appeared to rack the firearm to chamber a round. —John Molseed, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, probably from Middle Dutch rec framework; akin to Old English reccan to stretch, Greek oregein — more at right

Noun (2)

perhaps from rack entry 1

Noun (3)

alteration of wrack

Verb (2)

probably alteration of rock entry 1

Noun (5)

Middle English rak rain cloud, rapid movement

Verb (4)

Middle English rakken, from Old French (Norman & Picard dialect) reequier, probably from Late Latin reaedificare to rebuild, repair, improve, from Latin re- + aedificare to build — more at edify

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 8

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 4

Noun (2)

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (3)

1592, in the meaning defined above

Noun (4)

1580, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1530, in the meaning defined above

Noun (5)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (3)

1590, in the meaning defined above

Verb (4)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing rack

• dish rack
• fly off the rack
• go to rack and ruin
• luggage rack
• off-the-rack
• on the rack
• rack one's brain
• rack railway
• rack rent
• rack-renter
• rack up
• re-rack
• roof rack
• spice rack
• the rack
• towel rack

Kids Definition

rack

1 of 4 noun

ˈrak 

1

: a framework for holding fodder for livestock

2

: an instrument of torture on which a body is stretched

3

: a framework or stand on or in which articles are placed

hat rack

bicycle rack

4

: a bar with teeth on one side for fitting together with those of a pinion

5

: a pair of antlers

rack

2 of 4 verb

1

: to cause to suffer torture, pain, sorrow, or ruin

racked by a cough

2

: to stretch or strain violently

racked his brains for the answer

3

: to place (as pool balls) in a rack

rack

3 of 4 noun

: either of two gaits of a horse:

a

: pace sense 2b

b

: a fast showy gait similar to the pace but in which the feet of the same side do not touch down at the same time

rack

4 of 4 noun

: a cut of meat from a lamb or pig that includes some of the rib section