tackle

[tak-uhl, tey-kuhl]

noun

1. equipment, apparatus, or gear, especially for fishing.

   fishing tackle.

2. 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.

3. any system of leverage using several pulleys.

4. Nautical.,  the gear and running rigging for handling a ship or performing some task on a ship.

5. an act of tackling, as in football; a seizing, grasping, or bringing down.

6. Football.

   1. either of the linemen stationed between a guard and an end.

   2. the position played by this lineman.

7. (formerly) tack.

verb (used with object)

tackled, tackling 

1. to undertake to handle, master, solve, etc..

   to tackle a difficult problem.

2. to deal with (a person) on some problem, issue, etc.

3. to harness (a horse).

4. Football.,  to seize, stop, or throw down (a ball-carrier).

5. 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.

6. to seize suddenly, especially in order to stop.

verb (used without object)

tackled, tackling 

1. Football.,  to tackle an opponent having the ball.

tackle

/ ˈteɪkəl, ˈtækəl /

noun

1. any mechanical system for lifting or pulling, esp an arrangement of ropes and pulleys designed to lift heavy weights

2. the equipment required for a particular occupation, etc

   fishing tackle

3. nautical the halyards and other running rigging aboard a vessel

4. slang,  a man's genitals

5. sport a physical challenge to an opponent, as to prevent his progress with the ball

6. American football a defensive lineman

verb

1. (tr) to undertake (a task, problem, etc)

2. (tr) to confront (a person, esp an opponent) with a difficult proposition

3. sport (esp in football games) to challenge (an opponent) with a tackle

Other Word Forms

• tackler noun
• retackle verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of tackle¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English takel “gear, apparatus,” from Middle Low German; akin to take

Word History and Origins

Origin of tackle¹

C13: related to Middle Low German takel ship's rigging, Middle Dutch taken to _take

Example Sentences

Linebacker Jalen Woods said plenty of time has been spent on tackling after the team experienced significant slippage in that area against the Hoosiers.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“The job of tackling inflation has not been fully completed, and we are not in a hurry to reduce the policy rate,” Governor Ida Wolden Bache said in a statement.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The Nigerian government has denied this, saying it is doing its best to tackle the jihadists.

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"We set out to tackle environmental issues head on and make real, lasting changes that would protect life on Earth."

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In it the monarch said that the risks of AI needed to be tackled with "a sense of urgency, unity and collective strength".

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Related Words

• begin 
• deal with 
• engage in www.thesaurus.com
• take on 
• try 
• undertake 
• work on