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View synonyms for track

track

[ trak ]

noun

  1. a structure consisting of a pair of parallel lines of rails with their crossties, on which a railroad train, trolley, or the like runs.
  2. a wheel rut.
  3. evidence, as a mark or a series of marks, that something has passed.

    Synonyms: spoor, record, trace

  4. Usually tracks. footprints or other marks left by an animal, person, or vehicle:

    a lion's tracks; car tracks.

  5. a path made or beaten by or as if by the feet of people or animals; trail:

    to follow the track of a murderer.

  6. a line of travel or motion:

    the track of a bird.

  7. a course or route followed.
  8. a course of action, conduct, or procedure:

    on the right track to solve the problem.

  9. a path or course made or laid out for some particular purpose.
  10. a series or sequence of events or ideas.
  11. something associated with making a track, as the wheel span of a vehicle or the tread of a tire.
  12. a caterpillar tread.
  13. Sports.
    1. a course laid out for running or racing.
    2. the group of sports performed on such a course, as running or hurdling, as distinguished from field events.
    3. both track and field events as a whole.
  14. Recording.
    1. a band of recorded sound laid along the length of a magnetic tape.
    2. an individual song or segment of a recording:

      a title track.

    3. a discrete, separate recording that is combined with other parts of a musical recording to produce the final aural version:

      a special rhythm track added to the basic track.

  15. Automotive. the distance between the centers of the treads of either the front or rear wheels of a vehicle.
  16. Computers. a data-recording path on a storage medium, as a magnetic disk, tape, or drum, that is accessible to a read-write head in a given position as the medium moves past.
  17. tracks, Slang. needle marks on the arm, leg, or body of a drug user caused by habitual injections.
  18. sound track.
  19. a metal strip or rail along which something, as lighting or a curtain, can be mounted or moved.
  20. Education. a study program or level of curriculum to which a student is assigned on the basis of aptitude or need; academic course or path.


verb (used with object)

  1. to follow or pursue the track, traces, or footprints of.

    Synonyms: hunt, stalk

  2. to follow (a track, course, etc.).
  3. to make one's way through; traverse.
  4. to leave footprints on (often followed by up or on ):

    to track the floor with muddy shoes.

  5. to make a trail of footprints with (dirt, snow, or the like):

    The dog tracked mud all over the living room rug.

  6. to observe or monitor the course or path of (an aircraft, rocket, satellite, star, etc.), as by radar or radio signals.
  7. to observe or follow the course of progress of; keep track of.
  8. to furnish with a track or tracks, as for railroad trains.
  9. Railroads. to have (a certain distance) between wheels, runners, rails, etc.

verb (used without object)

  1. to follow or pursue a track or trail.
  2. to run in the same track, as the wheels of a vehicle.
  3. to be in alignment, as one gearwheel with another.
  4. to have a specified span between wheels or runners:

    The car's wheels track about five feet.

  5. Movies, Television. dolly ( def 12 ).
  6. Recording. to follow the undulations in the grooves of a phonograph record.

verb phrase

  1. to pursue until caught or captured; follow:

    to track down a killer.

track

/ træk /

noun

  1. the mark or trail left by something that has passed by

    the track of an animal

  2. any road or path affording passage, esp a rough one
  3. a rail or pair of parallel rails on which a vehicle, such as a locomotive, runs, esp the rails together with the sleepers, ballast, etc, on a railway
  4. a course of action, thought, etc

    don't start on that track again!

  5. a line of motion or travel, such as flight
  6. an endless jointed metal band driven by the wheels of a vehicle such as a tank or tractor to enable it to move across rough or muddy ground
  7. physics the path of a particle of ionizing radiation as observed in a cloud chamber, bubble chamber, or photographic emulsion
    1. a course for running or racing
    2. ( as modifier )

      track events

    1. sports performed on a track
    2. track and field events as a whole
  8. a path on a magnetic recording medium, esp magnetic tape, on which information, such as music or speech, from a single input channel is recorded
  9. any of a number of separate sections in the recording on a record, CD, or cassette
  10. a metal path that makes the interconnections on an integrated circuit
  11. the distance between the points of contact with the ground of a pair of wheels, such as the front wheels of a motor vehicle or the paired wheels of an aircraft undercarriage
  12. a hypothetical trace made on the surface of the earth by a point directly below an aircraft in flight
  13. keep track of
    to follow the passage, course, or progress of
  14. lose track of
    to fail to follow the passage, course, or progress of
  15. off the beaten track
    See beaten
  16. off the track
    away from what is correct or true
  17. on the track of
    on the scent or trail of; pursuing
  18. the right track
    the correct line of investigation, inquiry, etc
  19. the wrong track
    the incorrect line of investigation, inquiry, etc
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to follow the trail of (a person, animal, etc)
  2. to follow the flight path of (a satellite, spacecraft, etc) by picking up radio or radar signals transmitted or reflected by it
  3. railways
    1. to provide with a track
    2. to run on a track of (a certain width)
  4. (of a camera or camera operator) to follow (a moving object) in any direction while operating
  5. to move (a camera) towards the scene ( track in ) or away from the scene ( track out )
  6. to follow a track through (a place)

    to track the jungles

  7. intr (of the pick-up, stylus, etc, of a record player) to follow the groove of a record

    the pick-up tracks badly

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈtracker, noun
  • ˈtrackable, adjective
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Other Words From

  • tracka·ble adjective
  • tracka·bili·ty noun
  • tracker noun
  • multi·track verb (used with object)
  • re·track verb
  • un·tracka·ble adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of track1

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English noun trak, tracke, from Old French trac, perhaps of Germanic origin; compare Old Norse trathk “trodden spot,” Norwegian trakke “to trample”; akin to tread
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Word History and Origins

Origin of track1

C15: from Old French trac , probably of Germanic origin; related to Middle Dutch tracken to pull, Middle Low German trecken ; compare Norwegian trakke to trample
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. in one's tracks, Informal. in the spot in which one is or is standing at the moment:

    He stopped dead in his tracks, listening for the sound to be repeated.

  2. keep track, to be aware; keep informed:

    Have you been keeping track of the time?

  3. lose track, to fail to keep informed; neglect to keep a record:

    He soon lost track of how much money he had spent.

  4. make tracks, Informal. to go or depart in a hurry:

    to make tracks for the store before closing time.

  5. off the track, departing from the objective or the subject at hand; astray:

    He can't tell a story without getting off the track.

  6. on the track of, in search or pursuit of; close upon:

    They are on the track of a solution to the problem.

  7. on the wrong / right side of the tracks, from a poor or wealthy part of a community or of society:

    born on the wrong side of the tracks.

More idioms and phrases containing track

  • cover one's tracks
  • drop in one's tracks
  • fast track
  • follow in someone's footsteps (tracks)
  • inside track
  • jump the track
  • keep (lose) track
  • make tracks
  • off the beaten track
  • off the track
  • one-track mind
  • on the right tack (track)
  • right side of the tracks
  • stop cold (in one's tracks)
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Example Sentences

“People who have been watching closely and feel like the race is on a knife’s edge are anxious to see this one get called,” said Paul Mitchell, whose firm Political Data, Inc. tracks voter trends.

But, the Dodgers might as well try nonetheless, since they possess the competitive track record and financial resources to be one of Soto’s few realistic landing spots this offseason.

A new division within the Home Office, modelled on a Blair-era standards unit, will hope to drive up standards by tracking the performance of forces in priority areas.

From BBC

One of the major criticisms of recent United incarnations, going back long before Ten Hag's time, is a lack of work-rate, particularly when it comes to tracking back.

From BBC

That gives Google the ability to track users when they are signed in, and can be used to for targeted ads.

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Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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