Rack (Verb)
Meaning 1
Work on a rack; "rack leather".
Classification
Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing.
Examples
- The craftsman carefully learned to rack the warm leather over the metal frame to achieve the desired shape.
- In her spare time, she loved to rack the supple leather, stretching it to perfection as she created beautiful handmade shoes.
- To rack the stiff leather required immense skill and patience, as one wrong move could ruin the entire piece.
- The artisan spent years perfecting her technique to rack the delicate leather into exquisite designs.
- After a lot of practice, he finally mastered the art of racked leather, creating stunning works of art.
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Meaning 2
Go at a rack; "the horses single-footed".
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Examples
- The horses glided across the course as they hit their rack, a rhythmic single-footed gait that was both breathtaking and mesmerizing.
- At the sound of the whistle, the horses broke into a rack, their riders urging them to greater speeds.
- As the riders reached the bottom of the hill, they spurred their horses to rack, moving swiftly across the open plain.
- The riders let their horses rack down the track, effortlessly gliding across the terrain.
- The horse's rack was awe-inspiring, its smooth, fluid motion seeming almost otherworldly as it sped along the trail.
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Meaning 3
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".
Classification
Verbs of buying, selling, owning.
Examples
- The corrupt officials tried to rack money from the small business owners by issuing unwarranted fines and threatening to shut them down.
- They managed to rack some information from the witness by applying immense pressure and making veiled threats.
- The police were accused of racking confessions from the suspects using unethical means.
- She felt manipulated as her ex-partner continued to rack money from her despite their separation.
- The union representatives attempted to rack better pay for their members by threatening a nationwide strike.
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Meaning 4
Stretch to the limits; "rack one's brains".
Classification
Verbs of feeling.
Examples
- She's been trying to rack her brains to remember the combination but it just won't come to her.
- His body was starting to rack with pain as the disease progressed.
- The interrogators tried to rack his nerves with their relentless questioning.
- The company will rack up millions in losses this quarter if things don't turn around.
- After losing her child, she continued to rack her mind trying to understand the circumstances of the tragic incident.
Hypernyms
Meaning 5
Put on a rack and pinion; "rack a camera".
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- The camera was expertly racked to capture the stunning view from the helicopter's side door.
- In film schools, students are often taught to rack focus smoothly for dramatic effect.
- They have to rack the rows of books high and carefully to maximize storage space.
- To adjust the model train track, you need to carefully rack it into position using the specialized tool.
- In professional audio, an engineer may rack preamplifiers and processors in the studio to meet different mixing needs.
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Meaning 6
Fly in high wind.
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Examples
- The plane began to rack from side to side as the pilot struggled to maintain control in the high winds.
- High gusts of wind started to rack the small aircraft, making it hard for passengers to stay seated.
- A strong gust of wind hit, causing the plane to rack and shake violently.
- Flying conditions became treacherous as turbulence started to rack the aircraft.
- The fierce winds off the coast began to rack the airplane, prompting the pilot to request an alternate route.
Hypernyms
Meaning 7
Torture on the rack.
Classification
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care.
Examples
- The accused was then taken to be racked, in the hopes that the intense pain would coax a confession from them.
- In the dark ages, many accused witches were subjected to the cruel practice of being stretched on the rack.
- The cruel torturer would turn the handle, slowly racking the victim's joints until they broke.
- As he lay strapped to the device, he knew he was about to be racked by the merciless inquisitors.
- The use of the rack as a method of interrogation was eventually outlawed due to the immense suffering it inflicted.
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Meaning 8
Draw off from the lees; "rack wine".
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Examples
- The wine was racked after a few months to clarify it and separate it from the sediment left behind.
- She gently racked the red wine into another barrel to eliminate any excess particles that had accumulated.
- The winemaker carefully racked the Merlot to allow it to continue aging without the sediment interfering with its flavor.
- Before bottling, the vintner racked the Chardonnay to give it a clearer appearance and a smoother taste.
- The wine was racked several times during the past six months to achieve a richer, more complex flavor profile.
Hypernyms
Meaning 9
Seize together, as of parallel ropes of a tackle in order to prevent running through the block.
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The sailors were instructed to rack the ropes of the tackle to secure the load in place.
- Rack the ropes tightly to prevent the pulley system from malfunctioning during the lift.
- To maintain control, rack the tackle ropes together and hold them firmly in position.
- Be sure to rack the ropes securely before hoisting the heavy cargo.
- The crew member was struggling to rack the ropes, so his teammate stepped in to assist.
Hypernyms
Meaning 10
Torment emotionally or mentally.
Classification
Verbs of feeling.
Examples
- Her past failures continued to rack her mind with self-doubt and anxiety.
- The trauma she experienced as a child still racks her with guilt and shame.
- Memories of his lost loved one racked him with grief and sorrow.
- The pressure to meet his expectations racked her nerves and left her tense.
- Years of abuse racked their relationship, leaving deep emotional scars.
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Meaning 11
Run before a gale.
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Examples
- The small sailing boat was unable to maneuver and would soon rack on the sharp rocks hidden beneath the surface of the water.
- A massive storm was forecasted to hit the coast, forcing ships to rack as they struggled to keep their course.
- Experienced sailors knew that if the winds changed, they would have to rack quickly and change direction in order to avoid being capsized.
- As the storm intensified, the little boat began to rack and take on water, putting the crew's lives in danger.
- In his inexperience, the young sailor failed to rack in time, resulting in a disastrous collision with the nearby shore.