tack

[ tak ]

/ tæk /

See 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.

SYNONYMS FOR tack

12 affix, fasten, add.

See synonyms for tack on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms for tack

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

Origin of tack

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

OTHER WORDS FROM tack

tacker, nountackless, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tack

1. tack , tact2. tacks , tax

Definition for tack (2 of 3)

tack²

[ tak ]

/ tæk /

noun

food; fare.

Origin of tack

First recorded in 1740–50; origin uncertain

Definition for tack (3 of 3)

tack³

[ 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

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for tack

Unable to get the iodine capsules to work the way they wanted, Diosady and his team decided to change tack and focus on encapsulating the iron instead.
One man’s crusade to end a global scourge with better salt|Katie McLean|December 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Lofven was last month forced to change tack amid signs that Sweden now faces a dangerous winter with the pandemic.
Swedish government loses support as COVID-19 strategy comes under pressure|kdunn6|December 2, 2020|Fortune
Amy Coney Barrett has taken a very different tack in her quest to join Gorsuch on the court.
More evasive answers from Amy Coney Barrett|Aaron Blake|October 21, 2020|Washington Post
That has led to publishers taking a more proactive tack for drumming up business.
‘Fewer, bigger, better’: RFP close rates rise for publishers as buyers look to keep things simple|Max Willens|October 21, 2020|Digiday

The region is marketed for visitors as “Aryan Valley,” and many citizens have taken to tacking on “Aryan” to their last names.
The Himalayas’ Hidden Aryans|Nina Strochlic|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What's the point of tacking on some trifling symbolic punishment to their deep anguish?
Some Things Are Beyond Punishment|Megan McArdle|June 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
After tacking to the right, John McCain is back to picking fights with Republican colleagues.
Does Maverick McCain Matter?|Eleanor Clift|May 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Nor do I see the case for tacking left on affirmative action.
What does Majority-Minority Politics Look Like?|Megan McArdle|November 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The economy did add jobs in August, tacking on 96,000 new positions from July.
Why the Jobs Report Is So Meh|Daniel Gross|September 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Finish by tacking a handsome fringe all round the cushion, so as to conceal the binding.
Miss Leslie's Lady's New Receipt-Book|Eliza Leslie
By tacking, Monk altered the relative positions of the fleets from parallel to intersecting lines.
A Short History of the Royal Navy 1217 to 1688|David Hannay
It was to be a case of tacking down Channel,—a slow and, for landsmen, a very trying process.
A Boy's Voyage Round the World|The Son of Samuel Smiles
The next morning he discovered three ships several leagues to the leeward, tacking to enter the harbor.
Explorers and Travellers|Adolphus W. Greely
"Advising is harder than moving furniture and tacking up pictures," proclaimed Jennie.
Ruth Fielding At College|Alice B. Emerson

British Dictionary definitions for tack (1 of 4)

tack¹

/ (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 of tack

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)

tack²

/ (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)

tack³

/ (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)

tack⁴

/ (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.

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tack