tack

¹ American  

[tak] / tæk /

noun

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

2. Nautical.

   1. a rope for extending the lower forward corner of a course.

   2. the lower forward corner of a course or fore-and-aft sail.

   3. the heading of a sailing vessel, when sailing close-hauled, with reference to the wind direction.

   4. a course run obliquely against the wind.

   5. one of the series of straight runs that make up the zigzag course of a ship proceeding to windward.

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

4. one of the movements of a zigzag course on land.

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

6. a fastening, especially of a temporary kind.

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

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

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verb (used with object)

1. to fasten by a tack or tacks.

   to tack a rug to the floor.

2. to secure by some slight or temporary fastening.

3. to join together; unite; combine.

4. to attach as something supplementary; append; annex (often followed by on oronto ).

   Synonyms:

   add, fasten, affix

5. Nautical.

   1. to change the course of (a sailing vessel) to the opposite tack.

   2. to navigate (a sailing vessel) by a series of tacks.

6. to equip (a horse) with tack.

verb (used without object)

1. Nautical.

   1. 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.

   2. (of a sailing vessel) to change course in this way.

   3. to proceed to windward by a series of courses as close to the wind as the vessel will sail.

2. to take or follow a zigzag course or route.

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

4. to equip a horse with tack (usually followed byup ).

   Please tack up quickly.

idioms

1. on the wrong tack, under a misapprehension; in error; astray.

   His line of questioning began on the wrong tack.

tack ² American  

[tak] / tæk /

noun

1. food; fare.

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tack ³ American  

[tak] / tæk /

noun

Scot. and North England.

1. a lease, especially on farmland.

2. a rented pasture.

3. a catch, haul, or take of fish.

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tack ¹ British  

/ tæk /

noun

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

2. a long loose temporary stitch used in dressmaking, etc

3. See tailor's-tack

4. a temporary fastening

5. stickiness, as of newly applied paint, varnish, etc

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

7. nautical

   1. a course sailed by a sailing vessel with the wind blowing from forward of the beam

   2. one such course or a zigzag pattern of such courses

8. nautical

   1. a sheet for controlling the weather clew of a course

   2. the weather clew itself

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

10. a course of action differing from some previous course

    he went off on a fresh tack

11. under a false impression

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verb

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

2. to sew (something) with long loose temporary stitches

3. (tr) to attach or append

   tack this letter onto the other papers

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

5. nautical to steer (a sailing vessel) on alternate tacks

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

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

tack ² British  

/ tæk /

noun

1. 1. riding harness for horses, such as saddles, bridles, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      the tack room

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tack ³ British  

/ tæk /

noun

1. a lease

2. an area of land held on a lease

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tack ⁴ British  

/ tæk /

noun

1. informal food, esp when regarded as inferior or distasteful See also hardtack

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tack More Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

• tacker
  noun
• tackless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of tack¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English tak, take, takke “buckle, clasp, nail” (later, “tack”); “protective metal plate (on a cart),” from Old North French taque “back of a chimney”; cognate with German Zacke “prong, point,” Dutch tak “twig, bough”; the verb is derivative of the noun; see tache, attach

Origin of tack²

First recorded in 1740–50; origin uncertain

Origin of tack³

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English tak, takke, tac “fee paid to a lord, customary fee,” from Old Norse tak “hold, grasp, seizure, goods”; see origin at take

Explanation

A tack is a small, sharp pin or nail with a wide head. You can use tacks to attach your flyers to the telephone poles in your neighborhood. As a verb, tack means "attach using a tack," and also, simply "add," the way a movie director sometimes tacks on a happy ending to satisfy the audience. In sailing, a tack is a change of course that results in the wind blowing on the opposite side of the boat: "We decided to make a sharp tack to avoid the iceberg." Tack can also refer to a certain rope used in sailing, or to horseback riding equipment.

Example Sentences

I now use EganaGoldpfeil and Tack Fat as case studies in the college course I teach on ethics in finance.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

Tack on another 15-20 minutes to get to your desk, and the motivation for nabbing a closer spot starts to make sense.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Day gives out Blu Tack to some students to fidget with to keep them focused in class.

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026

Tack on the investment opportunities his salary deferrals create, and the forecasts of him being a billion-dollar profit machine for the franchise seem on track.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2024

Hard Tack, also a Man o’ War son, inherited the fabled Hastings temper distilled to crystal purity.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• affix
• fasten
• nail
• paste
• pin
• stitch