track

1 of 2

noun

ˈtrak 

1

: a footprint whether recent or fossil

the huge track of a dinosaur

2

a

: detectable evidence (such as the wake of a ship, a line of footprints, or a wheel rut) that something has passed

b

: a path made by or as if by repeated footfalls : trail

c

: a course laid out especially for racing

d

: the parallel rails of a railroad

e(1)

: material recorded especially on or as if on a track

instrumental tracks

a bonus commentary track on a DVD

(2)

: one of a series of parallel or concentric paths along which material (such as music or information) is recorded (as on a phonograph record or magnetic tape)

(3)

: a group of grooves on a phonograph record containing recorded sound

f

: a usually metal way (such as a groove) serving as a guide (as for a movable lighting fixture)

3

a

: a sequence of events : a train of ideas : succession

b

: an awareness of a fact, progression, or condition

keep track of the costs

lose track of the time

4

: track-and-field sports

especially : those performed on a running track

5

a

: the course along which something moves or progresses

b

: a way of life, conduct, or action

c

: one of several curricula of study to which students are assigned according to their needs or levels of ability

d

: the projection on the earth's surface of the path along which something (such as a missile or an airplane) has flown

6

a

: the width of a wheeled vehicle from wheel to wheel and usually from the outside of the rims

b

: the tread of an automobile tire

c

: either of two endless belts on which a tracklaying vehicle travels

trackless

ˈtrak-ləs 

adjective

track

2 of 2

verb

tracked; tracking; tracks

transitive verb

1

a

: to follow the tracks or traces of : trail

b

: to search for by following evidence until found

track down the source

2

a

: to follow by vestiges : trace

b

: to observe or plot the moving path of (something, such as a spacecraft or missile) often instrumentally

3

a

: to carry (mud or other material) on the feet and deposit

tracking mud into the kitchen

b

: to make tracks upon

4

: to keep track of (something, such as a trend) : follow

5

: to travel over : traverse

track a desert

intransitive verb

1

: travel

a comet tracking eastward

2

a of a pair of wheels

(1)

: to maintain a constant distance apart on the straightaway

(2)

: to fit a track or rails

b

of a rear wheel of a vehicle : to follow accurately the corresponding fore wheel on a straightaway

c

of a phonograph needle : to follow the groove undulations of a recording

3

: to leave tracks (as on a floor)

tracker noun

Phrases

in one's tracks

: where one stands or is at the moment : on the spot

was stopped in his tracks

on track

: achieving or doing what is necessary or expected

Synonyms

Noun

• imprint
• trace
• trail

Verb

• bird-dog
• chase
• course
• dog
• follow
• hound
• pursue
• run
• shadow
• tag
• tail
• trace
• trail

Choose the Right Synonym for track

trace, vestige, track mean a perceptible sign made by something that has passed.

trace may suggest any line, mark, or discernible effect.

the killer left no traces

vestige applies to a tangible reminder such as a fragment or remnant of what is past and gone.

boulders that are vestiges of the last ice age

track implies a continuous line that can be followed.

the fossilized tracks of dinosaurs

Examples of track in a Sentence

Noun

Follow the track into the forest.

We were warned about walking beside the railroad tracks.

Verb

He tracked the deer for a mile.

The detectives tracked the killer to Arizona.

The ship can track incoming missiles with radar.

Meteorologists are tracking the storm.

The study tracked the patients over the course of five years.

The squadron will track north by northeast for 40 miles.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The track of the moon's shadow across Earth's surface is called the path of totality. —Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 6 Apr. 2024

Forty-four percent say the state is on the wrong track, up from 29 percent in 2018. —Emily Guskin, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024

Boundaries: Mansion Flats’ boundaries go north to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, west to 12th Street, south to J Street and east to 16th Street. —Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 6 Apr. 2024

Editor’s Note: This is a version of CNN’s Royal News, a weekly dispatch bringing you the inside track on Britain’s royal family. —Billy Stockwell, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024

The same track also debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart. —Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024

The track arrives with a music video that director David Heofs shot in Mexico City. —Matthew Strauss, Pitchfork, 5 Apr. 2024

There has been an issue with some outer packaging splitting near the zipper track, Procter & Gamble says, that would make the contents more accessible to children. —Emilee Coblentz, The Courier-Journal, 5 Apr. 2024

The pop-rock track at times evokes the distinctive vintage sound of ’70s rock classics, driven by electric guitar, with vocals wrapped in reverb effects and captivating melodies. —Griselda Flores, Billboard, 5 Apr. 2024

Verb

Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). —Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 7 Apr. 2024

Israel’s probe of the WCK attack found that operators of the unmanned aerial vehicle tracking the convoy were not made aware of its coordination plan. —Louisa Loveluck, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024

The social media numbers were included in the center’s after-storm report, an analysis compiled for every tropical cyclone tracked by the agency. —Jenny Staletovich, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024

This year there have been more searches since Google started tracking it in the early 2000s. —Harry Enten, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024

After Border Patrol tracked a record-high number of migrant encounters along the southern border in December, Texas installed itself in Shelby Park the following month. —Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2024

In 2022, the ADL tracked a 36% increase in antisemitic incidents from the previous year. —USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024

Such cameras have been used widely to track down protesters opposing the invasion of Ukraine, for example, or mourners of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. —Robyn Dixon, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024

He was tracked down by a professional trapper within a few hours of the incident and killed, CDFW said in a statement. —Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English trak, from Middle French trac

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

1565, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing track

• fast track
• half-track
• hen track
• inside track
• jump the track(s)
• keep track
• laugh track
• lose track
• lose track of the time
• mommy track
• multi-track
• off the beaten track
• one-track
• on the right/wrong track
• on track
• single-track
• sound track
• tenure-track
• the inside track
• title track
• track-and-field
• track lighting
• track lights
• track meet
• track record
• warning track

Kids Definition

track

1 of 2 noun

ˈtrak 

1

a

: a mark left by something that has gone by

b

: path sense 1, trail

c

: a path along which something is recorded (as on magnetic tape)

2

a

: a course laid out for racing

b

: the parallel rails of a railroad

3

: the course along which something moves or progresses

4

: awareness of things or the order in which things happen or ideas come

lose track of the time

keep track of expenses

5

: either of two continuous metal belts on which a vehicle (as a tank or bulldozer) travels

6

: track-and-field sports

especially : those performed on a running track

trackless

ˈtrak-ləs 

adjective

track

2 of 2 verb

1

a

: to follow the tracks or traces of : trail

track a deer

b

: to search for until found

tracking down the causes of cancer

2

: to observe the moving path of

track a missile with radar

3

: to make tracks upon or with

track up the floor

track mud all over the floor

tracker noun