race
1a contest of speed, as in running, riding, driving, or sailing.
the races, a series of races, usually of horses or dogs, run at a set time over a regular course: They spent a day at the races.
any contest or competition, especially to achieve superiority: the arms race;the presidential race.
activity prompted by urgent need, responsibility, effort, etc., as when time is short or a solution is imperative: the race to find an effective vaccine.
onward movement; an onward or regular course, as of time, one’s life, etc., especially when thought of as swift or relentless: Often in the race of time and the daily struggle, we forget our true purpose in life.
an artificial channel leading water to or from a place where it or its energy is utilized: A mill race diverts the flow from the river to the millwheel.
the current of water in an artificial channel.
Geology.
a strong or rapid current of water, as in the sea or a river.
the channel or bed of such a current or of any stream.
Also called raceway. Machinery. a channel, groove, or the like, for sliding or rolling a part or parts, as the balls of a ball bearing.
Textiles.
the float between adjacent rows of pile.
to engage in a contest of speed; run a race: He has raced several times in the Indy 500, but never won.
to run horses or dogs in races; engage in or practice horce racing or dog racing: Queen Elizabeth bred horses and regularly raced at Ascot.
to run, move, or go swiftly: We all screamed as the rollercoaster raced down the steep track.
(of an engine, wheel, etc.) to run with undue or uncontrolled speed when the load is diminished without a corresponding reduction of fuel, force, etc.: I’m taking the car to the mechanic—the engine keeps racing.
to run a race against; try to beat in a contest of speed: I'll race you to the water.
to enter (a horse, car, track team, or the like) in a race or races: In 1988, Jamaica raced its first bobsled team in the Winter Olympics.
to cause to run, move, or go at high speed: Don’t race the engine when shifting gears.
Idioms about race
off to the races, starting a period of vigorous and usually promising activity toward some goal: With unemployment easing and the GDP expanding, I think the economy is finally off to the races.I gave her a few tips for her speech, and she was off to the races writing it.
Origin of race
1Other words from race
- an·ti·rac·ing, adjective
- pre·rac·ing, adjective
- pro·rac·ing, adjective
Other definitions for race (2 of 4)
a group of persons related by common descent or heredity.
a population so related.
Anthropology.
(no longer in technical use) any of the traditional divisions of humankind, the commonest being the Caucasian, Mongoloid, and Negro, characterized by supposedly distinctive and universal physical characteristics.
an arbitrary classification of modern humans, sometimes, especially formerly, based on any or a combination of various physical characteristics, as skin color, facial form, or eye shape, and now frequently based on such genetic markers as blood groups.
a socially constructed category of identification based on physical characteristics, ancestry, historical affiliation, or shared culture: Her parents wanted her to marry within her race.
a human population partially isolated reproductively from other populations, whose members share a greater degree of physical and genetic similarity with one another than with other humans.
a group of tribes or peoples forming an ethnic lineage: the Slavic race.
any people united by common history, language, cultural traits, etc.: the Dutch race.
the human race or family; humankind: Nuclear weapons pose a threat to the race.
Zoology. a variety; subspecies.
a natural kind of living creature: the race of fishes.
any group, class, or kind, especially of persons: Journalists are an interesting race.
the characteristic taste or flavor of wine.
of or relating to the races of humankind.
Origin of race
2usage alert For race
synonym study For race
Other words for race
Other definitions for race (3 of 4)
the root of the ginger plant; a gingerroot.
Origin of race
3Other definitions for Race (4 of 4)
Cape, a cape at the SE extremity of Newfoundland.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use race in a sentence
One of the folks running that race is City Councilmwoman Monica Montgomery Steppe.
VOSD Podcast: Why Montgomery Steppe Wants to Be Council President | Nate John | November 20, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoAs an overview of a fascinating career, this book concisely shows how, despite technological leaps such as the space race, human character is what will always fascinate us most.
Another look at John Glenn through a heroic lens | Francis French | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostFor marathons and other races, the crowd limit is 250 people.
Virginia’s coronavirus numbers are rising. Here’s what you need to know. | Antonio Olivo | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostAs a player, he used to race home after games to watch a replay of the games to see what the broadcasters had gotten right.
Inside Aqib Talib’s ‘raw’ but ‘real’ NFL announcing debut | Les Carpenter | November 19, 2020 | Washington PostBetting markets had a big election season, with international bookmakers seeing record amounts of wagering on the 2020 race and an unprecedented interest in betting odds as a means of forecasting the election’s result.
Betting markets called the presidential election more accurately than polls | reymashayekhi | November 19, 2020 | Fortune
The two heard shots fired around them but raced through the streets anyway.
How Richard Pryor Beat Bill Cosby and Transformed America | David Yaffe, Scott Saul | December 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTLike Jolly, most of the women raced other motorized vehicles before making it into Monster Jam.
The Moms of Monster Jam Drive Trucks, Buck Macho Culture | Eliza Krigman | November 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWe raced so fast that our rifles dropped out of our shoulders and lazily down to our sides.
Henry Thompson was a court officer who commandeered a van and raced to the towers with two of his co-workers.
Akbar and McCain raced out of the courtroom, recording a celebratory Vine in the elevator.
The Weirdest Story About a Conservative Obsession, a Convicted Bomber, and Taylor Swift You Have Ever Read | David Weigel | August 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTI turned away from the bank and raced up a long slope to a saw-backed ridge that promised largely of unobstructed view.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairI swung my horse around in his tracks and raced him back to the poplars, knowing what I would find, and yet refusing to believe.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairAfter the children had raced a long time, they came back to Chew-chew for another story.
The Later Cave-Men | Katharine Elizabeth DoppThey raced eagerly for the patch of light ahead of them and burst out upon a valley of green.
The Adventure Girls at K Bar O | Clair BlankSo Wienerwurst too had the time of his life, and his little pink tongue hung out in delight as they raced toward the moon.
Seven O'Clock Stories | Robert Gordon Anderson
British Dictionary definitions for race (1 of 4)
/ (reɪs) /
a contest of speed, as in running, swimming, driving, riding, etc
any competition or rivalry: the race for the White House
rapid or constant onward movement: the race of time
a rapid current of water, esp one through a narrow channel that has a tidal range greater at one end than the other
a channel of a stream, esp one for conducting water to or from a water wheel or other device for utilizing its energy: a mill race
a channel or groove that contains ball bearings or roller bearings or that restrains a sliding component
the inner or outer cylindrical ring in a ball bearing or roller bearing
Australian and NZ a narrow passage or enclosure in a sheep yard through which sheep pass individually, as to a sheep dip
Australian a wire tunnel through which footballers pass from the changing room onto a football field
NZ a line of containers coupled together, used in mining to transport coal
another name for slipstream (def. 1)
archaic the span or course of life
not in the race Australian informal given or having no chance
to engage in a contest of speed with (another)
to engage (oneself or one's representative) in a race, esp as a profession or pastime: to race pigeons
to move or go as fast as possible
to run (an engine, shaft, propeller, etc) or (of an engine, shaft, propeller, etc) to run at high speed, esp after reduction of the load or resistance
Origin of race
1British Dictionary definitions for race (2 of 4)
/ (reɪs) /
a group of people of common ancestry, distinguished from others by physical characteristics, such as hair type, colour of eyes and skin, stature, etc. Principal races are Caucasoid, Mongoloid, and Negroid
the human race human beings collectively
a group of animals or plants having common characteristics that distinguish them from other members of the same species, usually forming a geographically isolated group; subspecies
a group of people sharing the same interests, characteristics, etc: the race of authors
play the race card informal to introduce the subject of race into a public discussion, esp to gain a strategic advantage
Origin of race
2British Dictionary definitions for race (3 of 4)
/ (reɪs) /
a ginger root
Origin of race
3British Dictionary definitions for Race (4 of 4)
/ (reɪs) /
Cape Race a cape at the SE extremity of Newfoundland, Canada
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
Scientific definitions for race
[ rās ]
An interbreeding, usually geographically isolated population of organisms differing from other populations of the same species in the frequency of hereditary traits. A race that has been given formal taxonomic recognition is known as a subspecies.
A breed or strain, as of domestic animals.
Any of several extensive human populations associated with broadly defined regions of the world and distinguished from one another on the basis of inheritable physical characteristics, traditionally conceived as including such traits as pigmentation, hair texture, and facial features. Because the number of genes responsible for such physical variations is tiny in comparison to the size of the human genome and because genetic variation among members of a traditionally recognized racial group is generally as great as between two such groups, most scientists now consider race to be primarily a social rather than a scientific concept.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with race
see rat race; slow but sure (steady wins the race).
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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