tack

[ tak ]

/ tæk /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tack ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a short, sharp-pointed nail, usually with a flat, broad head.

Nautical.

a rope for extending the lower forward corner of a course.
the lower forward corner of a course or fore-and-aft sail.
the heading of a sailing vessel, when sailing close-hauled, with reference to the wind direction.
a course run obliquely against the wind.
one of the series of straight runs that make up the zigzag course of a ship proceeding to windward.

a course of action or conduct, especially one differing from some preceding or other course.

one of the movements of a zigzag course on land.

a stitch, especially a long stitch used in fastening seams, preparatory to a more thorough sewing.

a fastening, especially of a temporary kind.

stickiness, as of nearly dry paint or glue or of a printing ink or gummed tape; adhesiveness.

the gear used in equipping a horse, including saddle, bridle, martingale, etc.

verb (used with object)

to fasten by a tack or tacks: to tack a rug to the floor.

to secure by some slight or temporary fastening.

to join together; unite; combine.

to attach as something supplementary; append; annex (often followed by on or onto).

Nautical.

to change the course of (a sailing vessel) to the opposite tack.
to navigate (a sailing vessel) by a series of tacks.

to equip (a horse) with tack.

verb (used without object)

Nautical.

to change the course of a sailing vessel by bringing the head into the wind and then causing it to fall off on the other side: He ordered us to tack at once.
(of a sailing vessel) to change course in this way.
to proceed to windward by a series of courses as close to the wind as the vessel will sail.

to take or follow a zigzag course or route.

to change one's course of action, conduct, ideas, etc.

to equip a horse with tack (usually followed by up): Please tack up quickly.

Nearby words

tacit, tacitean, taciturn, taciturnity, tacitus, tack, tack claw, tack hammer, tack rag, tack room, tack welding

Idioms

on the wrong tack, under a misapprehension; in error; astray: His line of questioning began on the wrong tack.

Origin of tack

1300–50; (noun) Middle English tak buckle, clasp, nail (later, tack); cognate with German Zacke prong, Dutch tak twig; (v.) Middle English tacken to attach, derivative of the noun; see tache, attach

SYNONYMS FOR tack

12 affix, fasten, add.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tack ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

tack·er, nountack·less, adjective

Can be confused

tack tact track tracttacks tax

Definition for tack (2 of 3)

tack

[ tak ]

/ tæk /

noun

food; fare.

Origin of tack

First recorded in 1740–50; origin uncertain

Definition for tack (3 of 3)

tack

[ tak ]

/ tæk /

noun Scot. and North England.

a lease, especially on farmland.

a rented pasture.

a catch, haul, or take of fish.

Origin of tack

1250–1300; Middle English tak < Old Norse tak goods, seizure, grasp. See take

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tack

Pulling oil from the tar sands is costly, even more so when you tack transportation costs on top.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Jan. 4|PunditFact.com|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Anytime we have to put up the sail or tack or do any maneuvering, it requires all hands on deck.
Inside Sailing’s Biggest Race|Lizzie Crocker|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This second tack, the one that has worked for Hughes, is probably the most viable for Lewinsky, he thinks.
Donna Rice: ‘My Heart Really Goes Out to Monica Lewinsky’|Keli Goff|May 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Paul has seen what happens when a candidate takes the tack Cruz appears to be taking with great relish.
Rand Paul Controls the Wacko Bird Flight|Sam Youngman|September 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The tack denies the agency of Israeli and Palestinian leaders themselves, and elides scores upon scores of their own missteps.
Israelis And Palestinians Blast Kerry For Peace Efforts|Ali Gharib|May 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Then Dollops went on his own tack, leaving Sir Edgar to enjoy his own bitter reflections as best he might.
The Riddle of the Purple Emperor|Mary E. Hanshew and Thomas W. Hanshew
I let go the gig's gunwale and watched her tighten her sheet and make a tack or two to windward.
The Riddle of the Sands|Erskine Childers
The ship went on plunging into the heavy seas as she made a wide circuit, the yards being again braced up on the other tack.
Sunshine Bill|W H G Kingston
Dodd tried her on every tack, and at last ordered Sharpe to make all sail and head for the Cape.
Hard Cash|Charles Reade
Bind this down tightly with a piece of burlap and tack the edges to the rails.
Mission Furniture|H. H. Windsor

British Dictionary definitions for tack (1 of 4)

tack

/ (tæk) /

noun

a short sharp-pointed nail, usually with a flat and comparatively large head

British a long loose temporary stitch used in dressmaking, etc

See tailor's-tack

a temporary fastening

stickiness, as of newly applied paint, varnish, etc

nautical the heading of a vessel sailing to windward, stated in terms of the side of the sail against which the wind is pressing

nautical

a course sailed by a sailing vessel with the wind blowing from forward of the beam
one such course or a zigzag pattern of such courses

nautical

a sheet for controlling the weather clew of a course
the weather clew itself

nautical the forward lower clew of a fore-and-aft sail

a course of action differing from some previous coursehe went off on a fresh tack

on the wrong tack under a false impression

verb

(tr) to secure by a tack or series of tacks

British to sew (something) with long loose temporary stitches

(tr) to attach or appendtack this letter onto the other papers

nautical to change the heading of (a sailing vessel) to the opposite tack

nautical to steer (a sailing vessel) on alternate tacks

(intr) nautical (of a sailing vessel) to proceed on a different tack or to alternate tacks

(intr) to follow a zigzag route; keep changing one's course of action

Derived Forms

tackless, adjective

Word Origin for tack

C14 tak fastening, nail; related to Middle Low German tacke pointed instrument

British Dictionary definitions for tack (2 of 4)

tack

/ (tæk) /

noun

informal food, esp when regarded as inferior or distastefulSee also hardtack

Word Origin for tack

C19: of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for tack (3 of 4)

tack

/ (tæk) /

noun

riding harness for horses, such as saddles, bridles, etc
(as modifier)the tack room

Word Origin for tack

C20: shortened from tackle

British Dictionary definitions for tack (4 of 4)

tack

⁴

/ (tæk) /

noun Scot

a lease

an area of land held on a lease

Word Origin for tack

C15: from tak a Scots word for take

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

Idioms and Phrases with tack

tack

see get down to brass tacks; on the right tack; sharp as a tack.