track

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

Synonyms of track

• chase
• pursue
• follow
• trace
• course

Examples of track in a Sentence

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

Lally also has to clean their enclosures, and weigh and track all of the pandas’ feces in order to monitor their health. —Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026

The country elected its first female prime minister just last year, and women currently make up less than 15% of the House of Representatives, according to IPU Parline, which tracks global data on national parliaments. —Yumi Asada, CNN Money, 7 June 2026

Here are three dividend-paying stocks that are highlighted by Wall Street's top pros, as tracked by TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance. —Tipranks.com Staff, CNBC, 7 June 2026

Her proposals include implementing technology to track extortions, militarizing borders and increasing the presence of police and military personnel in high-risk areas. —ABC News, 7 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for track

• ack
• brack
• clack
• crack
• dak
• flack
• flak
• hack
• jack
• knack
• lac
• lack

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