to tack

Examples

• All

• So I had either to go south and tack back in open water or, more directly, go east behind Hope Island.

  Blog text (1)

• They're sailing into the wind by tacking back and forth on this zigzag course.

  Wind (1992)

• Come on, we gotta tack out of here!

  Wind (1992)

• We need to tack, sir.

  Wind (1992)

• On the morning of the third day, we tacked into a wide bay.

  Fiction book (1993)

• All right, if we're gonna do this, we're gonna have to out-tack them.

  Wind (1992)

• Stand by to tack.

  Wind (1992)

• Prepare to tack.

  Wind (1992)

• I swallowed silly blind anger and smiled at Rita, who came to stand beside me and show me how to tack our zig-zag course around the island and back to the marina.

  Fiction book (1995)

• As the storm approached, we had to tack quickly to avoid capsizing.

Synonyms

C

to change course

vsto tack

41 3.7

Turn a ship to a new direction to avoid danger

is a specific maneuver turning the bow into and across the wind

Idioms

S

sharp as a tack

• Informal

5 6.7

Able to understand new things very quickly

Phrasal Verbs

T

to tack on

19 4.1

Add something extra that was not planned

C

to change tack

• UK

1 5.1

To try a different way to deal with a problem

T

to tack onto

1 5.4

To fasten something to a surface with a small nail or pin

T

to tack together

4.7

To join parts quickly in a careless, temporary way

Compounds

C

carpet tack

1 5.7

A small sharp nail with a flat head that holds a carpet to the floor

T

tie tack

1 6.5

A small decorative pin that holds a tie to a shirt

T

tailor's tack

• Specialized

9.5

A temporary loose loop stitch that marks where to fold or sew fabric

T

tack hammer

5.7

A small light hammer used to drive small nails into wood

T

tick-tack-toe

• UK

1.6

A game for two players who take turns marking a three by three grid to make three in a row

Surface Forms

Etymology