Definition of tack
2
: to join or add in a slight or hasty manner
—usually used with on or onto
- … the upbeat ending, tacked on to a book that cries out for a tragic one.
- —Julian Symons
3 a
: to add as a supplement or something extra
—usually used with on or onto
- tacked fees onto the price
- The Marlins tacked on five runs in the bottom of the eighth …
- —Buster Olney
b
: to add (a rider) to a parliamentary bill
- provisions tacked to an appropriation bill
4
: to change the direction of (a sailing ship) when sailing close-hauled by turning the bow to the wind and shifting the sails so as to fall off on the other side at about the same angle as before
1 a
: to tack a sailing ship
- We tacked repeatedly as we sailed toward the harbor.
b
of a ship
: to change to an opposite tack by turning the bow to the wind
- a ship that tacks easily
c
: to follow a course against the wind by a series of tacks
- Boredom was the chief enemy as the ships tacked to and fro.
- —Nigel Calder
2 a
: to follow a zigzag course
- tacked through the crowd
b
: to modify one's policy or attitude abruptly
- With the coming of Ronald Reagan to power, Nixon tacked hard right—an old instinct.
- —Sidney Blumenthal
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