🪑 A frame 😣 To strain 💰 To extort 🎱 To arrange balls 🍖 A meat cut 🪢 A torture device 🐎 To move smoothly 🐎 A horse gait 📷 To adjust focus 💥 Destruction 🍷 To separate liquid ⛵ To sail fast

to rack

1 7.9

To move a camera lens to change its focus

verb
/ræk/

Specialized

: cambiar el enfoque

Rack focus to a previously out-of-focus TV screen in the foreground, where we see Angle in a TV picture of a medical textbook, showing a multicolored plate, the anatomy of the feet.
rack the focuser
rack focus

Examples

Rack back.

The Chamber (1996)
You need to rack the camera back and forth to get the right shot.
Rack focus to Sarah as she turns into profile.

Fiction book (1991)
Rack to show Eric lying on the floor b.g. as his eyes pop open.

Fiction book (1994)
Eric looks back off-screen and we rack to include the Skull Cowboy.

Fiction book (1994)
Before taking a photo, make sure to rack the lens to focus on the subject.
To achieve the best clarity, it is essential to rack the focuser until the image is sharp.

Idioms

to rack one's brain

Informal

13 5.8

Think very hard to remember something or solve a problem

rack and ruin

1 7.4

A building or place that has fallen into bad condition

Phrasal Verbs

to rack up

Informal

54 3.6

To collect many points or wins

to rack up

1 4.8

To put the pool balls in a triangle before the game

Compounds

rack of lamb

8 3.4

A cut of lamb from the ribs often roasted and served whole or as chops

off-the-rack

7 4.4

Clothes made in standard sizes and sold in stores, not made for one person

bike rack

5 2.1

A metal frame for parking and locking bikes

coat rack

5 1.0

A stand with hooks for hanging coats and hats

towel rack

4 1.6

A bar or frame for hanging towels to dry in a bathroom

spice rack

3 1.4

A stand or shelf that holds jars of spices in a kitchen

magazine rack

3 2.3

A stand that holds magazines for people to read

dish rack

2 1.1

A rack that holds dishes after washing so the water drains off them

luggage rack

2 2.5

A shelf above seats for holding suitcases or bags

roof rack

2 3.1

A frame attached to a car roof for carrying luggage and bikes

rack and pinion

Specialized

1 6.0

A round gear and a flat bar with teeth that change turning into straight movement

bicycle rack

1 1.9

A frame made of metal or wood where you lock and park a bike

bomb rack

Specialized

1 7.4

A metal frame on an aircraft that holds and drops bombs in flight

meat rack

1 4.4

A shelf for holding meat for sale in a shop

rack rent

Archaic

1 9.0

A very high amount people must pay to live in a house or use land that is unfair

tie rack

1 1.6

A small holder that keeps ties neat in a closet

bicycle parking rack

3.0

A metal frame where people lock and leave bicycles

bike parking rack

2.6

A metal frame where people lock and leave bicycles

dress rack

1.5

A rack that shows dresses for sale in a shop

music rack

3.4

A stand that holds sheet music while a musician plays

rack railway

Specialized

8.1

A railway for steep hills where a gear on the train fits a central toothed rail to climb safely

pipe rack

5.3

A stand that holds tobacco pipes to store and show them

plate rack

1.6

A rack for holding plates upright to dry after washing

ski rack

3.0

A frame attached to a car that holds skis securely during driving

How Far

move

167 1.0

to shift

683 2.0

to rack

Specialized

1 7.9

to adjust

317 2.7

to nudge

33 3.8

tweak

28 3.9

Surface Forms

rack infinitive

racked past

racked past participle

racking present participle

racks third person singular

Etymology

Rack for moving a lens or device comes from the idea of sliding or drawing something along a bar, like the toothed bar called a rack in a 'rack and pinion' mechanism. So to rack a camera or lens is to move it along that guide to change focus or position.