rack


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rack

framework; spread out; torture: they put the prisoner on the rack
Not to be confused with:
wrack – damage or destruction: wrack and ruin
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

rack 1

 (răk)
n.
1.
a. A framework or stand in or on which to hold, hang, or display various articles: a trophy rack; a rack for baseball bats in the dugout; a drying rack for laundry.
b. Games A triangular frame for arranging billiard or pool balls at the start of a game.
c. A receptacle for livestock feed.
d. A frame for holding bombs in an aircraft.
2. Slang
a. A bunk or bed.
b. Sleep: tried to get some rack.
3. A toothed bar that meshes with a gearwheel, pinion, or other toothed machine part.
4.
a. A state of intense anguish.
b. A cause of intense anguish.
5. An instrument of torture on which the victim's body was stretched.
6. A pair of antlers.
7. Vulgar Slang A woman's breasts.
tr.v. racked, rack·ing, racks
1. To place (billiard balls, for example) in a rack.
2. also wrack To cause great physical or mental suffering to: Pain racked his entire body. See Synonyms at afflict.
3. To torture by means of the rack.
Phrasal Verbs:
rack out Slang
To go to sleep or get some sleep.
rack up Informal
To accumulate or score: rack up points.
Idioms:
off the rack
Ready-made. Used of clothing.
on the rack
Under great stress.
rack (one's) brains/brain
To try hard to remember or think of something.

[Middle English rakke, probably from Middle Dutch rec, framework; see reg- in Indo-European roots.]

rack′er n.

rack 2

 (răk)
n.
A fast, flashy, four-beat gait of a horse in which each foot touches the ground separately and at equal intervals.
intr.v. racked, rack·ing, racks
To go or move at a rack.

[Origin unknown.]

rack 3

also wrack  (răk)
n.
A thin mass of wind-driven clouds.

[Middle English rak, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish rak, wreckage.]

rack 4

 (răk)
n.
Variant of wrack1.

rack 5

 (răk)
n. & v.
Variant of wrack2.

rack 6

 (răk)
tr.v. racked, rack·ing, racks
To drain (wine or cider) from the dregs.

[Middle English rakken, from Old Provençal arracar, from raca, stems and husks of grapes.]

rack 7

 (răk)
n.
1.
a. A wholesale rib cut of lamb or veal between the shoulder and the loin.
b. A retail rib cut of lamb or veal, prepared for roasting or for rib chops.
2. The neck and upper spine of mutton, pork, or veal.

[Probably from rack.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

rack

(ræk)
n
1. a framework for holding, carrying, or displaying a specific load or object: a plate rack; a hat rack; a hay rack; a luggage rack.
2. (Mechanical Engineering) a toothed bar designed to engage a pinion to form a mechanism that will interconvert rotary and rectilinear motions
3. (Aeronautics) a framework fixed to an aircraft for carrying bombs, rockets, etc
4. (Historical Terms) the rack an instrument of torture that stretched the body of the victim
5. a cause or state of mental or bodily stress, suffering, etc; anguish; torment (esp in the phrase on the rack)
6. slang chiefly US a woman's breasts
7. (Billiards & Snooker) (in pool, snooker, etc)
a. the triangular frame used to arrange the balls for the opening shot
b. the balls so grouped. Brit equivalent: frame
vb (tr)
8. (Historical Terms) to torture on the rack
9. Also: wrack to cause great stress or suffering to: guilt racked his conscience.
10. Also: wrack to strain or shake (something) violently, as by great physical force: the storm racked the town.
11. to place or arrange in or on a rack: to rack bottles of wine.
12. (Mechanical Engineering) to move (parts of machinery or a mechanism) using a toothed rack
13. to raise (rents) exorbitantly; rack-rent
14. rack one's brains to strain in mental effort, esp to remember something or to find the solution to a problem
[C14 rekke, probably from Middle Dutch rec framework; related to Old High German recchen to stretch, Old Norse rekja to spread out]
ˈracker n
Usage: See at wrack1

rack

(ræk)
n
destruction; wreck (obsolete except in the phrase go to rack and ruin)
[C16: variant of wrack1]

rack

(ræk)
n
(Horse Training, Riding & Manège) another word for single-foot, a gait of the horse
[C16: perhaps based on rock2]

rack

(ræk)
n
(Physical Geography) a group of broken clouds moving in the wind
vb
(Physical Geography) (intr) (of clouds) to be blown along by the wind
[Old English wrǣc what is driven; related to Gothic wraks persecutor, Swedish vrak wreckage]

rack

(ræk)
vb (tr)
1. (Brewing) to clear (wine, beer, etc) as by siphoning it off from the dregs
2. (Brewing) to fill a container with (beer, wine, etc)
[C15: from Old Provençal arraca, from raca dregs of grapes after pressing]

rack

(ræk)
n
(Cookery) the neck or rib section of mutton, pork, or veal
[Old English hrace; related to Old High German rahho, Danish harke, Swedish harkla to clear one's throat]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

rack1

(ræk)

n.
1. a framework of bars, pegs, etc., on which articles are arranged or deposited: a clothes rack.
2. a fixture containing tiered shelves, often affixed to a wall: a spice rack.
3. a framework set up on a vehicle to carry loads.
4.
a. a triangular wooden frame in which balls are arranged before a game of pool.
b. the balls so arranged.
5. Mach.
a. a bar, with teeth on one of its sides, adapted to engage with the teeth of a pinion (rack and pinion) or the like, as for converting circular into rectilinear motion or vice versa.
b. a bar having a series of notches engaging with a pawl or the like.
6. a former instrument of torture on which a victim was slowly stretched.
7. a cause or state of intense suffering of body or mind.
8. violent strain.
9. a pair of antlers.
v.t.
10. to torture; distress acutely; torment.
11. to strain in mental effort: to rack one's brains.
12. to strain by physical force or violence.
13. to stretch the body of (a person) on a rack.
14. rack up,
a. Pool. to put (the balls) in a rack.
b. to gain, achieve, or score: The new store is racking up profits.
[1250–1300; Middle English rakke, rekke (n.) < Middle Dutch rac, rec, recke]

rack2

(ræk)

n.
wreckage or destruction; wrack: to go to rack and ruin.
[1590–1600; variant of wrack1]

rack3

(ræk)

n.
1. the fast pace of a horse in which the legs move in lateral pairs but not simultaneously.
v.i.
2. (of horses) to move in a rack.
[1570–80; perhaps alter. of rock2]

rack4

(ræk)

n.
1. a group of drifting clouds.
v.i.
2. to drive or move, esp. before the wind.
[1350–1400; Middle English rak]

rack5

(ræk)

v.t.
to draw off (wine, cider, etc.) from the lees.
[1425–75; < Old French]

rack6

(ræk)

n.
1. the neck portion of mutton, pork, or veal.
2. the rib section of a foresaddle of lamb, veal, etc.
[1560–70; orig. uncertain]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

rack

, pinion - Rack is the linear gear and pinion is the circular gear in a mechanism.
See also related terms for mechanism.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

Rack

 a rush or shock.
Examples: rack of clouds (thin-flying, broken clouds), 1626; of water (a sudden rush), 1513.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

rack


Past participle: racked
Gerund: racking

Imperative
rack
rack
Present
I rack
you rack
he/she/it racks
we rack
you rack
they rack
Preterite
I racked
you racked
he/she/it racked
we racked
you racked
they racked
Present Continuous
I am racking
you are racking
he/she/it is racking
we are racking
you are racking
they are racking
Present Perfect
I have racked
you have racked
he/she/it has racked
we have racked
you have racked
they have racked
Past Continuous
I was racking
you were racking
he/she/it was racking
we were racking
you were racking
they were racking
Past Perfect
I had racked
you had racked
he/she/it had racked
we had racked
you had racked
they had racked
Future
I will rack
you will rack
he/she/it will rack
we will rack
you will rack
they will rack
Future Perfect
I will have racked
you will have racked
he/she/it will have racked
we will have racked
you will have racked
they will have racked
Future Continuous
I will be racking
you will be racking
he/she/it will be racking
we will be racking
you will be racking
they will be racking
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been racking
you have been racking
he/she/it has been racking
we have been racking
you have been racking
they have been racking
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been racking
you will have been racking
he/she/it will have been racking
we will have been racking
you will have been racking
they will have been racking
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been racking
you had been racking
he/she/it had been racking
we had been racking
you had been racking
they had been racking
Conditional
I would rack
you would rack
he/she/it would rack
we would rack
you would rack
they would rack
Past Conditional
I would have racked
you would have racked
he/she/it would have racked
we would have racked
you would have racked
they would have racked
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.rack - framework for holding objectsrack - framework for holding objects  
barbecue, barbeque - a rack to hold meat for cooking over hot charcoal usually out of doors
bicycle rack - a rack for parking bicycles
carrier - a rack attached to a vehicle; for carrying luggage or skis or the like
coat rack, coatrack, hatrack - a rack with hooks for temporarily holding coats and hats
dish rack - a rack for holding dishes as dishwater drains off of them
framework - a structure supporting or containing something
hayrack - a rack that holds hay for feeding livestock
pipe rack - a rack for holding a smoker's pipes
plate rack - a rack for holding plates to dry after they have been washed
tie rack - a rack for storing ties
toastrack - a rack for holding slices of toast
towel horse, towel rack - a rack consisting of one or more bars on which towels can be hung
2.rack - rib section of a forequarter of veal or pork or especially lamb or mutton
cut of meat, cut - a piece of meat that has been cut from an animal carcass
crown roast, rack of lamb - a roast of the rib section of lamb
3.rack - the destruction or collapse of something; "wrack and ruin"
demolition, wipeout, destruction - an event (or the result of an event) that completely destroys something
4.rack - an instrument of torture that stretches or disjoints or mutilates victims
instrument of torture - an instrument of punishment designed and used to inflict torture on the condemned person
5.rack - a support for displaying various articles; "the newspapers were arranged on a rack"
bier - a stand to support a corpse or a coffin prior to burial
cruet-stand - a stand for cruets containing various condiments
dress rack - a rack used primarily to display dresses for sale in a store
magazine rack - a rack for displaying magazines
music rack, music stand - a light stand for holding sheets of printed music
spice rack - a rack for displaying containers filled with spices
spit - a skewer for holding meat over a fire
support - any device that bears the weight of another thing; "there was no place to attach supports for a shelf"
tripod - a three-legged rack used for support
6.rack - a form of torture in which pain is inflicted by stretching the body
torturing, torture - the deliberate, systematic, or wanton infliction of physical or mental suffering by one or more persons in an attempt to force another person to yield information or to make a confession or for any other reason; "it required unnatural torturing to extract a confession"
7.rack - a rapid gait of a horse in which each foot strikes the ground separately
gait - a horse's manner of moving
Verb1.rack - go at a rack; "the horses single-footed"
pace - go at a pace; "The horse paced"
2.rack - stretch to the limits; "rack one's brains"
strain, stress, try - test the limits of; "You are trying my patience!"
3.rack - put on a rack and pinion; "rack a camera"
put to work, work - cause to work; "he is working his servants hard"
4.rack - obtain by coercion or intimidation; "They extorted money from the executive by threatening to reveal his past to the company boss"; "They squeezed money from the owner of the business by threatening him"
fleece, gazump, overcharge, plume, rob, soak, surcharge, hook, pluck - rip off; ask an unreasonable price
bleed - get or extort (money or other possessions) from someone; "They bled me dry--I have nothing left!"
5.rack - run before a gale
navigation, pilotage, piloting - the guidance of ships or airplanes from place to place
sail - travel on water propelled by wind; "I love sailing, especially on the open sea"; "the ship sails on"
6.rack - fly in high wind
fly, wing - travel through the air; be airborne; "Man cannot fly"
7.rack - draw off from the lees; "rack wine"
draw, take out - take liquid out of a container or well; "She drew water from the barrel"
8.rack - torment emotionally or mentallyrack - torment emotionally or mentally  
anguish, pain, hurt - cause emotional anguish or make miserable; "It pains me to see my children not being taught well in school"
9.rack - work on a rack; "rack leather"
work on, work, process - shape, form, or improve a material; "work stone into tools"; "process iron"; "work the metal"
10.rack - seize together, as of parallel ropes of a tackle in order to prevent running through the block
clutch, prehend, seize - take hold of; grab; "The sales clerk quickly seized the money on the counter"; "She clutched her purse"; "The mother seized her child by the arm"; "Birds of prey often seize small mammals"
11.rack - torture on the rack
excruciate, torture, torment - subject to torture; "The sinners will be tormented in Hell, according to the Bible"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

rack

noun
verb
1. torture, distress, torment, harass, afflict, oppress, harrow, crucify, agonize, pain, excruciate a teenager racked with guilt
on the rack in difficulties, suffering, in trouble, having problems, in agony, in distress, racked with pain, going through torture on the rack with a heroin addiction
rack something up sustain, experience, suffer, bear, endure, undergo, withstand, bear up under, feel The company continues to rack up huge losses.
rack your brains think hard, try to remember (informal), scratch your head, give a lot of thought to something, put your mind to something, puzzle over something As I ate, I racked my brains in a search for his identity.
Usage: The use of the spelling wrack rather than rack in sentences such as she was wracked by grief or the country was wracked by civil war is very common but is thought by many people to be incorrect.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

rack

verb
1. To bring great harm or suffering to:
2. To subject (another) to extreme physical cruelty, as in punishing:
Idiom: put on the rack.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
حَامِلرَف، حامِل خَشَبييُفَكِّر بِجُهْدٍ شَديديُهْمَل وَيَخْرَب
lámat si hlavupolicepultregálrozpadnout se v trosky
stativ=-hyldebryde sin hjernegå til grundehylde
telinenaulakkopiinapenkkiräkki
polica
brjóta heilanneyîilegging, hrun, hrörnagrind, hilla, standur
・・・掛け
선반
aiziet postālauzīt galvunodalījumsnonīktplaukts
odcejalnikpalicapolicaprtljažna škatlastojalo
ställ
ชั้นวางของ
askılıkharap olmakkafa patlatmakmahvolmakraf
cái giá

rack

1 [ræk]
A. N
1. (= dish rack) → escurridor m, escurreplatos m inv; (= clothes rack) → perchero m, percha f; (= luggage rack) (Rail) → portaequipajes m inv, rejilla f; (= roof rack) → baca f, portaequipajes m inv, parrilla f (Andes); (= mechanical rack) → cremallera f
to buy clothes off the rack (US) → comprar ropa de percha
2. (for torture) → potro m
to be on the rack (fig) → estar en ascuas
3. (Snooker, Pool) → triángulo m
B. VT
1. [pain] → atormentar; [cough] → sacudir
to be racked by remorseestar atormentado por el remordimiento
to be racked by painsestar atormentado por el dolor
to rack one's brainsdevanarse los sesos
2. [+ wine] (also rack off) → trasegar
C. CPD rack railway Nferrocarril m de cremallera
rack rent Nalquiler m exorbitante
rack up VT + ADV (= accumulate) → acumular

rack

2 [ræk] N to go to rack and ruin [building] → echarse a perder, venirse abajo; [business] → arruinarse, tronar (LAm); [country] → arruinarse; [person] → dejarse ir
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

rack

[ˈræk]
n
(for clothes)portant m, présentoir m; (for dishes)égouttoir m; (for bottles)casier m; (for pipes)râtelier m; (for vegetables)bac m dish rack, magazine rack, pipe rack, shoe rack
(also luggage rack) (in train, bus)porte-bagages m
(also roof rack) → galerie f
(HISTORY) the rack (= form of torture) → le chevalet
to go to rack and ruin [building] → tomber en ruine; [business, country] → péricliter
vt
[pain, need, emotion] → tenailler
Jealousy racked him → La jalousie le tenaillait.
racked by pain → ravagé(e) par la douleur, tenaillé(e) par la douleur
racked with guilt → tenaillé(e) par la culpabilité
to rack one's brains → se creuser la cervelle
rack up
vt fus [+ profits, losses, sales] → accumuler
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

rack

:
rack railway
nZahnradbahn f
rack-rent
nWuchermiete f
rack wheel
n (Tech) → Zahnrad nt

rack

1
n
(for hats, toast, pipes etc) → Ständer m; (for bottles, plates) → Gestell nt, → Ständer m; (= shelves)Regal nt; (= luggage rack)Gepäcknetz nt; (on car, bicycle) → Gepäckträger m; (for fodder) → Raufe f
(US Billiards) → Rahmen m
to put somebody on the rack (lit, fig)jdn auf die Folter spannen; to be on the rack (fig)Folterqualen leiden
(US sl) she has a nice racksie hat viel Holz vor der Hütte (inf)
vt
(to cause pain, also fig) → quälen, plagen; racked with pain/by remorsevon Schmerz/Gewissensbissen gequält or geplagt
to rack one’s brainssich (dat)den Kopf zerbrechen, sich (dat)den Kopf or das Hirn zermartern (inf)
(Hist) → auf die Folter spannen, auf der Folter strecken

rack

2
n to go to rack and ruin (person) → verkommen, vor die Hunde gehen (inf); (country, economy) → herunterkommen, vor die Hunde gehen (inf); (building) → verfallen, in Schutt und Asche zerfallen

rack

3
vt wine, beerabfüllen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

rack

1 [ræk]
1. n
a. (storage framework) → rastrelliera; (for luggage) → rete f portabagagli inv; (for hats, coats) → appendiabiti m inv; (in shops) → scaffale m
magazine rack → portariviste m inv
shoe rack → scarpiera
toast rack → portatoast m inv
b. (for torture) → cavalletto
2. vt (subj, pain, cough) → torturare, tormentare
racked by remorse → roso/a dal rimorso
to rack one's brains → scervellarsi
rack up vt + advaccumulare

rack

2 [ræk] n to go to rack and ruin (building) → andare in rovina; (business) → andare in malora or a catafascio; (country) → andare a catafascio; (person) → lasciarsi andare completamente
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

rack1

(rӕk) noun
a frame or shelf in or on which objects (eg letters, plates, luggage etc) are put until they are wanted or needed. Put these tools back in the rack; Put your bag in the luggage-rack.

rack2

(rӕk) : rack one's brains
to think desperately hard.

rack3

(rӕk) : go to rack and ruin
to get into a state of neglect and decay.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

rack

حَامِل věšák stativ Ständer ράφι estante teline étagère polica scaffale ・・・掛け 선반 rek stativ półka prateleira полка ställ ชั้นวางของ askılık cái giá 架子
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
Finally, he insisted upon having a bowl of rack punch; everybody had rack punch at Vauxhall.
An I rack him to death and he confess not, it will peradventure show that he had indeed naught to confess -- ye will grant that that is sooth?
ahab seized a loaded musket from the rack (forming part of most South-Sea-men's cabin furniture), and pointing it towards Starbuck, exclaimed: There is one God that is Lord over the earth, and one Captain that is lord over the Pequod.
At the far side of the room a rack held the swords and firearms of the men.
Hans takes Gretel, ties her to a rope, leads her to the rack, and binds her fast.
Close to the entrance where I stood was a rack of straight swords, and as my hand closed upon the hilt of one of them my eyes fell upon the faces of two of the prisoners who worked side by side.
He belonged to that race of martyrs who, indissolubly wedded to their political convictions as their ancestors were to their faith, are able to smile on pain: while being stretched on the rack, he recited with a firm voice, and scanning the lines according to measure, the first strophe of the "Justum ac tenacem" of Horace, and, making no confession, tired not only the strength, but even the fanaticism, of his executioners.
She never suspected that the exercise books and new songs which she found in the rack were put there for her especial benefit, and when he talked to her about music at home, she only thought how kind he was to tell things that helped her so much.
In front is a leather rack, in which to keep your speaking trumpet, pipe, telescope, and other nautical conveniences.
The horse made me a sign to go in first; it was a large room with a smooth clay floor, and a rack and manger, extending the whole length on one side.
As fast as he finished them, he flung the shirts on a rack between him and Martin, who caught them up and "backed" them.
It felt that, in spite of all possible pains, It had somehow contrived to lose count, And the only thing now was to rack its poor brains By reckoning up the amount.