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rack

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word rack different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of rack are afflict, torment, torture, and try. While all these words mean "to inflict on a person something that is hard to bear," rack stresses straining or wrenching.

a body racked by pain

When would afflict be a good substitute for rack?

Although the words afflict and rack have much in common, 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

When is it sensible to use torment instead of rack?

The meanings of torment and rack largely overlap; however, torment suggests persecution or the repeated inflicting of suffering or annoyance.

a horse tormented by flies

Where would torture be a reasonable alternative to rack?

The words torture and rack can be used in similar contexts, but torture adds the implication of causing unbearable pain or suffering.

tortured by a sense of guilt

When is try a more appropriate choice than rack?

The words try and rack are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, try suggests imposing something that strains the powers of endurance or of self-control.

children often try their parents' patience

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rack
Noun
There are bike racks and underground parking available, and a fitness center with weights. Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 26 Sep. 2025 Four roaches died behind that dry storage rack, maybe on the way to the open feast. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
Return to oven rack and bake until glazed and lightly charred in spots, about 6 minutes more. Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 20 Sep. 2025 Each year, the previous vintage’s wine is racked off just before harvest, and fresh juice is added immediately—keeping the lees wet and active. Emily Cappiello, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rack
Noun
  • To watch Lipe-Smith’s Caroline cuddle in bed watching TV on her iPad, or bopping around to JoJo Siwa, or pensively finishing a Popsicle while sitting beside her grandmother at a museum, is to have the sheer malevolence of our current administration and its adherents thrown into sharp relief.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Just a few days before, while on a UK state trip, British newspapers reported the President and first lady slept in separate beds at Windsor Castle.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Get alerts if the system detects acute distress.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Just continue to watch for any signs of distress, and if something else develops, see a vet.
    Joan Morris, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Pearsall appeared to have reaggravated his knee injury that was plaguing him all week, and he was pulled from the game.
    James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Sep. 2025
  • The key race heats up as instances of violence continue to plague the Big Apple.
    Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Pearsall appeared to have reaggravated his knee injury that was plaguing him all week, and he was pulled from the game.
    James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Russia launched its first major wave of missile and drone strikes on Ukraine in nearly a month, pounding sites across the country on Sunday and leaving Kyiv hardest hit as rescue workers scrambled to pull people from the rubble.
    Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 28 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • When officers responded to the building, Jones was on a couch shirtless, with Jack’s pistol under his arm — and the couple’s wallets and credit cards in his pockets, court documents say.
    Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Or sleeping on a couch when everybody has a bed at a family member’s home.
    Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • ElAttrache recommended a shoulder debridement to relieve the pain Stewart has continued to feel in his shoulder.
    Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 27 Sep. 2025
  • For now, love evades understanding—which means that finding someone will remain, much of the time, a pain in the ass.
    Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 27 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.
    Fatma Tanis, NPR, 21 Sep. 2025
  • Leatherface attacks, but the real villains turn out to be the townsfolk who persecuted the Sawyers after the original massacre.
    Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The spacious cabin has a combination entertainment-dining area outfitted with two sofas, a full-size kitchen, a private bathroom, and a main bedroom that can fit a king-size mattress (there are additional sleeping areas, including an overhead bunk above the cockpit).
    Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Once he was handcuffed, deputies placed him on the lower bunk of his cell.
    Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rack. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

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