What does rack mean?
Rack has several related but distinct uses. As a noun, it commonly refers to a frame, shelf, or other support with divisions for holding clothes, shoes, dishes, or equipment. It can also mean a collection or display of things arranged together. As a verb, to rack something means to place it in or on such a support, while "to rack up" means to accumulate a total, such as points, losses, or sales. In another figurative use, something can rack a person with anxiety, guilt, or exhaustion. The word is useful because it can describe both a physical organizing structure and the process of placing things in order, while its idiomatic verb forms extend the idea to accumulation and emotional pressure. Although some uses are more familiar in one variety of English than another, the basic noun and verb senses are widely used in British and American English.
A frame, shelf, or support with bars, hooks, shelves, or other divisions for holding or organizing objects.
"The server was mounted on a rack beneath the desk."
The word can also denote a collection or display of items, as in "a rack of clothes."
To place something in or on a rack; to tax or burden someone severely; or to accumulate a total such as points or losses.
"The team racked up an impressive number of goals over the season."
In the accumulation sense, the phrase is especially common as "rack up."
The noun is countable and regularly used in the plural, especially for individual frames or supports and for collections or displays.
"The shop has several racks of winter coats near the entrance."
From an Old English word for a frame or support, rack has grown to describe everything from clothes rails to the pressure that can leave someone emotionally or physically exhausted.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does rack come from?
The noun descends from Old English racce, originally meaning a frame, support, or structure. The verb developed through Middle English and Middle Dutch, with the sense of stretching or torturing associated with a rack and later with severe taxation or burdening. Modern idioms such as "rack up" and "rack one's brain" extend the word's older associations with strain, pressure, and accumulation.
Related word forms
How rack is actually used
The noun is common in both British and American English. The verb is often used in the phrases "rack up," meaning accumulate, and "rack someone with guilt," meaning burden or torment someone; these uses can sound figurative rather than literal.
Easily confused with rack
A rack is a framework or support, while a wreck is the remains of a destroyed vessel, vehicle, or structure.