tackle
Americannoun
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equipment, apparatus, or gear, especially for fishing.
fishing tackle.
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a mechanism or apparatus, as a rope and block or a combination of ropes and blocks, for hoisting, lowering, and shifting objects or materials; purchase.
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any system of leverage using several pulleys.
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Nautical. the gear and running rigging for handling a ship or performing some task on a ship.
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an act of tackling, as in football; a seizing, grasping, or bringing down.
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Football.
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either of the linemen stationed between a guard and an end.
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the position played by this lineman.
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(formerly) tack.
verb (used with object)
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to undertake to handle, master, solve, etc..
to tackle a difficult problem.
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to deal with (a person) on some problem, issue, etc.
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to harness (a horse).
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Football. to seize, stop, or throw down (a ball-carrier).
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Soccer, Field Hockey. to block or impede the movement or progress of (an opponent having the ball) with the result of depriving the opponent of the ball.
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to seize suddenly, especially in order to stop.
verb (used without object)
noun
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any mechanical system for lifting or pulling, esp an arrangement of ropes and pulleys designed to lift heavy weights
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the equipment required for a particular occupation, etc
fishing tackle
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nautical the halyards and other running rigging aboard a vessel
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slang a man's genitals
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sport a physical challenge to an opponent, as to prevent his progress with the ball
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American football a defensive lineman
verb
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(tr) to undertake (a task, problem, etc)
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(tr) to confront (a person, esp an opponent) with a difficult proposition
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sport (esp in football games) to challenge (an opponent) with a tackle
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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tacklesimple
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tacklessimple
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have tackledperfect
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has tackledperfect
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am tacklingprogressive
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are tacklingprogressive
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is tacklingprogressive
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have been tacklingperfect progressive
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has been tacklingperfect progressive
Past
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tackledsimple
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had tackledperfect
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was tacklingprogressive
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were tacklingprogressive
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had been tacklingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tackle
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English takel “gear, apparatus,” from Middle Low German; akin to take
Explanation
To tackle a challenge means taking it on, so if you set out to tackle the classics of English literature, you should be prepared spend a lot of time in the library. The word tackle can be a verb or a noun, depending on its use. Today, the noun usually means fishing gear, but when it came into the English language it meant the ropes on a ship. If a ship was lurching about on the high seas, you dealt with that challenge by grabbing the tackle and wrestling it under control. Nowadays, people tend to think of tackling running backs and financial fraud, rather than ropes.
Vocabulary lists containing tackle
Set, Hut! Football Vocabulary
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Words Football Fans Can Master Easily
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American Football, 2nd Quarter
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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.
See Examples For:
Pro Ref, led by chief refereeing officer Howard Webb, has been in discussions with the leagues to determine how to tackle the issue.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Nacua and left tackle Alaric Jackson were involved in separate off-field incidents in the last seven months that have not, to this point, resulted in misdemeanor criminal charges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
With temperatures dipping around Madrid, "there is a real opportunity now to tackle this fire with some guarantee of success," the central government's delegate in the Spanish capital, Francisco Martin, told reporters late Friday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
AI advances depend on hardware, in particular the chips that train AI models and help them tackle everyday tasks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The block and tackle parted under the strain, sending the ferret and the rats on the level shooting down into the ditch.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
Noting that Peru has had 15 interior ministers in the past five years, Mr. López-Dolz, now a political-risk adviser based in Texas, believes Peru can defeat criminality only if it tackles the problem strategically.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
The work tackles a long standing problem in physics.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
Arnold started 22 games in 24 appearances for the Lions over the past two seasons, making 91 tackles, deflecting eight passes and making an interception.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
He had 31 tackles and an interception last season before going on injured reserve because of a shoulder injury on Dec. 1.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Nick puts his books down and Ducky tackles him around the waist.
From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers
But beyond the acting world, Guido has also tackled the stand-up comedy scene in recent years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
For example, a program that helps people manage diabetes could also be expanded to address related cardiometabolic risks such as high cholesterol and hypertension, allowing multiple connected health issues to be tackled together.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
Crews from East Sussex and West Sussex also tackled two fires in the South Downs National Park - one at Devil's Dyke and one near Eastbourne - overnight on Friday.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Bloomberg Intelligence senior ETF strategist Eric Balchunas raised the question in a report published earlier this week, while several popular investing podcasts have also tackled the topic recently.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
“Didn’t mean to—” Piper tackled him with a hug.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
That is why addressing nutrient pollution at source is the first point of action in tackling the problem, and why the big contributors – farming and water treatment – are the first port of call.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
More than 100 firefighters have been tackling the blaze which first broke out near Ryvoan Bothy, south of Nethy Bridge, last Wednesday.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Two firefighters died on Tuesday tackling another blaze near Bordeaux airport.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
In France, two firefighters died on Tuesday tackling a blaze that broke out near Bordeaux airport.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
The pups scampered around, tackling one another, rolling in the mud like furry little wrestlers.
From "I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964" by Lauren Tarshis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
