🪑 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 9.9

To sail quickly with the wind behind, often in a storm

verb
/ræk/

Specialized

: correr a toda vela

As the ship began to rack forward swiftly with the fierce wind, the crew prepared for the rough waters ahead.

Examples

- Casey... I think you've been racked into the flagpole one too many times.

The Faculty (1998)
The captain ordered the crew to rack the sails as the storm approached.
With the wind behind us, we could easily rack along the coast, making good time despite the storm.

Synonyms

to scud

vsto rack

1 8.0

To move quickly and smoothly, pushed by the wind

move very fast with wind from behind during storms

Antonyms

to drift

331 2.9

To move slowly without a clear direction, for example when air or water move something

to stall

166 4.3

To delay doing something on purpose to get more time

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 Fast

to rack

Specialized

1 9.9

to scud

1 8.0

to run

∞ 1.0

to sail

275 1.0

to drift

331 2.9

Surface Forms

rack infinitive

racked past

racked past participle

racking present participle

racks third person singular

Etymology

Rack for a ship running before a gale can be remembered by the idea of moving quickly with the wind, similar to the horse sense of swift motion. So to rack with a gale means to let the wind carry the ship along rapidly.