as in wrenching
intensely or unbearably painful
a racking cough kept him awake all night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in plaguing
to cause persistent suffering to
the young man was racked with guilt over the lie he had told to his parents the country has been racked by years of civil war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pulling
to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure
she racked her brain trying to remember where she'd put the money the sails of the boat were racked by the storm's winds
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of racking
Ralphie Aversa,
USA Today,
25 June 2026
Six years ago, Donald Milton III, artistic director of the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus, was having lunch with the organization’s accompanist, Eric Baumgartner, racking their respective brains about future projects.
—
Jim Farmer,
AJC.com,
10 June 2026
Theories of how the book survived Library Manager Myles Cooper has been racking his brain for an explanation of how the book found its way home.
—
Sneha Dhandapani,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Detectives said the witness also told police about a video that had surfaced online that appeared to show Jones going to his vehicle, retrieving an object, and then making a racking motion consistent with using a gun before walking to where the shooting unfolded.
—
Matthew Ablon,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Since avian flu turned eggs into a luxury item, pastry chef Annie Clemmons has spent countless hours in her Maryland workshop, racking her brains about how to replace them in her recipes.
—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2026
Video footage showed Curry shooting with his left hand, racking the gun to fix a malfunction, taking out and reinserting a magazine, then checking his abdomen, apparently realizing he has been shot.
—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
24 Feb. 2026
On the small screen, the influencer Gabriella Carr recently drew her sizable flock to a rejection spreadsheet, where the video creator and actress means to track all her professional door-slams with an eye to racking ’em up.
—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
4 Feb. 2026
He was accused of taking his gun out of his holster, racking the gun and pointing it at both people.
—
Jeff A. Chamer
december 11,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
Kelce hasn't done too shabby either, racking in $111 million from NFL contracts alone.
—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA Today,
25 June 2026
Six years ago, Donald Milton III, artistic director of the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus, was having lunch with the organization’s accompanist, Eric Baumgartner, racking their respective brains about future projects.
—
Jim Farmer,
AJC.com,
10 June 2026
Theories of how the book survived Library Manager Myles Cooper has been racking his brain for an explanation of how the book found its way home.
—
Sneha Dhandapani,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Detectives said the witness also told police about a video that had surfaced online that appeared to show Jones going to his vehicle, retrieving an object, and then making a racking motion consistent with using a gun before walking to where the shooting unfolded.
—
Matthew Ablon,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Since avian flu turned eggs into a luxury item, pastry chef Annie Clemmons has spent countless hours in her Maryland workshop, racking her brains about how to replace them in her recipes.
—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2026
Video footage showed Curry shooting with his left hand, racking the gun to fix a malfunction, taking out and reinserting a magazine, then checking his abdomen, apparently realizing he has been shot.
—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
24 Feb. 2026
On the small screen, the influencer Gabriella Carr recently drew her sizable flock to a rejection spreadsheet, where the video creator and actress means to track all her professional door-slams with an eye to racking ’em up.
—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
4 Feb. 2026
He was accused of taking his gun out of his holster, racking the gun and pointing it at both people.
—
Jeff A. Chamer
december 11,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for racking
Adjective
-
His most wrenching scene, when Stagg receives a devastating personal call but cannot react amid the intense geopolitical stakes, captured this tension.
-
Another wrenching question, of course, is whether at least the younger Perez siblings would want or need to go with Olga to Guatemala if she were deported.
Verb
-
Different aspects can make downtowns undesirable and several issues have been plaguing cities on both sides of the Atlantic recently.
-
For one, the blue material likely has no direct relation to the large algal blooms that are also plaguing the monument, according to Tim Auerhahn, chairman of the Aquatic Council.
Verb
-
Workers were dispatched throughout La Guaira and parts of Caracas, where families and volunteers have spent the last few days pulling survivors and bodies from the wreckage despite a lack of heavy equipment and limited guidance from authorities.
-
Rescuers have fanned out across La Guaira, where the worst destruction occurred, and parts of Caracas, where families and volunteers have spent days pulling survivors and victims from the rubble.
Adjective
-
Claus trudged to the monitor, watched the foul on an agonizing loop and promptly handed Balogun a red card.
-
In the final minute of stoppage time Cape Verde missed an agonizing last second shot but still claimed a point!
Verb
-
Cholera, a waterborne bacterial disease, has unleashed a perilous wave across southern Africa, with active outbreaks currently afflicting five countries in southern and central Africa.
-
Never mind the economic turbulence afflicting the country and the world, driven most recently by rising gas prices because of the war in Iran.
Adjective
-
As part of her job, Angèle needs to daub makeup on the models’ feet, blistered from the torturous heels they’re forced to wear.
-
The film tells the story of Greek hero Odysseus’ long, torturous and fantastical trip home from the Trojan War, back to the Kingdom of Ithaca to save his wife and son.
Verb
-
Biden weaponized Law Enforcement against his political opponent, while also persecuting many other innocent people.
-
Jack Hayford, the founder of the King’s University, in Texas, claimed that the film was persecuting Christians, who only wanted to be treated equally.
Adjective
-
Indie Shakes managing director David Melville distills his production around scenes of intense conflict.
-
As the planet warms, extreme heat events are becoming more common, intense and long-lasting.
Cite this Entry
“Racking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racking. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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