tackle

American  

[tak-uhl, tey-kuhl] / ˈtæk əl, ˈteɪ kəl /

noun

tackles plural

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.

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verb (used with object)

tackles, present (3rd person singular) tackled, past participle, past tackling present participle

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)

tackles, present (3rd person singular) tackled, past participle, past tackling present participle

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

tackle British  

/ 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

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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

Derived Forms

• tackler
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tackles
  plural

Participles

• tackling
  present
• tackled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• tackle
  simple
• tackles
  simple
• have tackled
  perfect
• has tackled
  perfect
• am tackling
  progressive
• are tackling
  progressive
• is tackling
  progressive
• have been tackling
  perfect progressive
• has been tackling
  perfect progressive

Past

• tackled
  simple
• had tackled
  perfect
• was tackling
  progressive
• were tackling
  progressive
• had been tackling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will tackle
  simple
• will have tackled
  perfect
• will be tackling
  progressive
• will have been tackling
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

In a statement, Leicestershire County Council told us that it continues to work in partnership with police and Blaby District Council to tackle high street crime and related offences.

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2026

The tensions have prompted the government to announce ramped up measures to tackle illegal immigration and warn people to not take the law into their own hands.

From Barron's • Jul. 3, 2026

Alex Papadopoulos, a postgraduate researcher at the Institute for Gravitational Research, explained that the expanded catalog is also helping scientists tackle one of cosmology's biggest unanswered questions: how fast the Universe is expanding.

From Science Daily • Jul. 2, 2026

If only it were even slightly entertaining — maybe they’ll tackle that in the inevitable sequel.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026

The Captain decided that while Auntie Braxton was in the hospital, the three of us should tackle her house.

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson

Related Words

• begin
• engage in
• take on
• try
• undertake
• work on