What does tacking mean?
Tacking most commonly means fastening material temporarily with small stitches, as in tailoring, upholstery, or dressmaking. These temporary stitches hold layers in the correct position until the permanent seams are completed. The verb also has specialized meanings in sailing, where it describes turning a vessel into the wind, and in broader figurative use, where “tacking on” means adding extra text, equipment, or features to something. Tacking a subject can mean approaching it, usually in a cautious or preliminary way. The related noun refers to the act of fastening, often by temporary stitches. Although the word can describe secure attachment as well as provisional fastening, its everyday association is with the temporary, preparatory stage of making and mending things.
To attach or fasten something, especially temporarily with small stitches or tacks; also used in specialized senses of approaching a topic, adding an extra item, or turning a vessel into the wind.
"He tacked the patch carefully before sewing it permanently."
The temporary-sewing sense is the most common in everyday use.
The act or process of attaching something with tacks or temporary stitches.
"The tacking of the pleats kept the fabric flat."
The noun is usually uncountable and is most common in sewing and tailoring contexts.
Rare; the noun is normally used in the singular or uncountably.
"The tailor checked the tackings before beginning the permanent seams."
Tacking stitches are fashion's temporary scaffolding: they hold a garment together until the permanent seams are sewn.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tacking come from?
The present participle “tacking” is formed from “tack,” a word for a small, sharp fastener and, by extension, for fastening material with small temporary stitches. “Tack” comes from Middle English tacke, developed from Old English tæc, meaning a fastening or peg, and is related to words such as “tag” and “tackle” in the Germanic vocabulary. The sewing sense developed from the older practice of fastening layers temporarily before making the final seams.
Related word forms
How tacking is actually used
In sewing, tacking usually refers to temporary stitches that keep layers aligned before permanent stitching. The phrase “tack on” can suggest adding something quickly or informally, sometimes with the connotation of doing so carelessly. The nautical sense is more specialized.
Easily confused with tacking
Tacking means attaching or fastening something, whereas tracking means following, recording, or monitoring something such as movement, progress, or a target.