What does racket mean?
Racket is a versatile English word with both concrete and figurative uses. Its sporting sense refers, as a variant of racquet, to the handheld implement used to strike a ball in games such as badminton, squash, and tennis. More distinctively, a racket can mean a loud and confused commotion: one might complain about the racket made by noisy neighbors. In journalism and everyday speech, the word can also denote an illegal or questionable business or organization, as in phrases such as the drug racket or a smuggling racket. As a verb, racket means to make a loud, confused noise or commotion, often suggesting disorderly disturbance. These meanings give racket a mildly negative reputation outside its sporting use, although the noise and activity senses can be playful or humorous. The word is useful because it can describe both the physical equipment of a game and the disorder surrounding criminal or chaotic activity.
A loud, confused noise or commotion; a business or organization involved in illegal or questionable activity; or a variant of racquet used to strike a ball.
"The street was filled with a racket from the celebration."
To make a loud, confused noise or commotion.
"The children racked up the neighborhood until midnight."
The regular plural is rackets, used for instances of a noise or commotion and for sporting implements or illicit organizations.
"The nightclub was shut down after complaints about the rackets coming from its premises."
One word can mean a sporting implement, a bewildering din, and an illicit enterprise—an unusually wide range of meanings for a short word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does racket come from?
The sporting term comes through French raquette and Spanish racket, ultimately from Arabic rakhat, meaning “palm of the hand,” referring to the broad shape of the implement. The English word later developed figurative senses for loud commotion and organized illicit activity, while racket also continues to exist as a spelling variant of racquet.
Related word forms
How racket is actually used
In the senses of noise or commotion, racket is informal and generally conveys confusion or disorder rather than a single clear sound. The sense for an illegal organization is commonly used in expressions such as drug racket or smuggling racket. The sporting spelling is usually racquet in current dictionaries and most sporting contexts, although racket remains a recognized variant.
Easily confused with racket
In modern sporting usage, racquet is the usual spelling for the handheld instrument used to strike a ball, while racket is also an established variant in some varieties of English.