on the rack

Idioms

Under great stress, as in I was on the rack while I waited for the test results. This expression, alluding to a medieval instrument of torture to which the victim was fastened and stretched, has been used figuratively since the late 1500s. Shakespeare had it in The Merchant of Venice (3:2): “Let me choose, for as I am I live upon the rack.”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When more people shopped in physical stores, processing a return was often a matter putting an item back on the rack.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 17, 2025

By the time Mainoo had put away the most glorious finish United were 2-1 up and Liverpool were the ones on the rack and Klopp looked like he was ready to explode on the touchline.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2024

The other woman buys the first pair on the rack, without even checking if it's her size.

From Salon • Nov. 28, 2023

Years go by and there’s always tutus on the rack.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 26, 2023

She was looking up at my suitcases, up on the rack.

From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger

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