race.
A contest between people, animals, vehicles, etc. where the goal is to be the first to reach some objective.
Meaning & usage
A contest between people, animals, vehicles, etc. where the goal is to be the first to reach some objective.
Several horses ran in a horse race: the first one to reach the finishing post won.
The race to cure cancer
Swift progress; rapid motion; an instance of moving or driving at high speed.
A race condition; a bug or problem that occurs when two or more components attempt to use the same resource at the same time.
A sequence of events; a progressive movement toward a goal.
A fast-moving current of water.
A water channel, especially one built to lead water to or from a point where it is utilised, such as that which powers a millwheel.
A path that something or someone moves along.
A guide or channel that a component of a machine moves along: A groove on a sewing machine or a loom along which the shuttle moves.
A guide or channel that a component of a machine moves along: A ring with a groove in which rolling elements (such as balls) ride, forming part of a rolling-element bearing (for example, a ball bearing).
inner/outer race
A keno gambling session.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁s-der. Proto-Germanic *rēsōder. Proto-West Germanic *rās Old English rǣs ▲ Proto-Germanic *rēsō Old Norse rásbor. Middle English race English race From Middle English race, partially from Old English rǣs (“a race, swift or violent running, rush, onset”), from Proto-West Germanic *rās; and partially from Old Norse rás (“a running, race”); both from Proto-Germanic *rēsō (“a course”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁s- (“to flow, rush”). Cognate with Middle Low German râs ("a strong current"; whence German Low German Raas (“mad rush, rage, fury”)), Dutch ras (“a strong whirling current”), Danish ræs, Norwegian and Swedish ras, Norwegian rås.
To take part in a race (in the sense of a contest).
The drivers were racing around the track.
To compete against in a race (contest).
I raced him to the car, but he was there first, so he got to ride shotgun.
To move or drive at high speed; to hurry or speed.
As soon as it was time to go home, he raced for the door.
Her heart was racing as she peered into the dimly lit room.
To run rapidly when not engaged to a transmission.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁s-der. Proto-Germanic *rēsōder. Proto-West Germanic *rās Old English rǣs ▲ Proto-Germanic *rēsō Old Norse rásbor. Middle English race English race From Middle English race, partially from Old English rǣs (“a race, swift or violent running, rush, onset”), from Proto-West Germanic *rās; and partially from Old Norse rás (“a running, race”); both from Proto-Germanic *rēsō (“a course”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁s- (“to flow, rush”). Cognate with Middle Low German râs ("a strong current"; whence German Low German Raas (“mad rush, rage, fury”)), Dutch ras (“a strong whirling current”), Danish ræs, Norwegian and Swedish ras, Norwegian rås.
A group of sentient beings, particularly people, distinguished by common ancestry, heritage or characteristics (see Wikipedia's article on historical definitions of race): A large group of people distinguished from others on the basis of a common heritage.
The Canadian race is one of the most vigorous on the globe.
A group of sentient beings, particularly people, distinguished by common ancestry, heritage or characteristics (see Wikipedia's article on historical definitions of race): A large group of people distinguished from others on the basis of common physical characteristics, such as skin color or hair type.
Race was a significant issue during apartheid in South Africa.
The Native Americans colonized the New World in several waves from Asia, and thus they are considered part of the same Mongoloid race.
A group of sentient beings, particularly people, distinguished by common ancestry, heritage or characteristics (see Wikipedia's article on historical definitions of race): A large group of people distinguished from others on the basis of shared characteristics or qualities, for example social qualities.
The advent of the Internet has brought about a new race of entrepreneur.
A group of sentient beings, particularly people, distinguished by common ancestry, heritage or characteristics (see Wikipedia's article on historical definitions of race): A large group of nonhumans distinguished from others on the basis of a common heritage.
A treaty was concluded between the race of elves and the race of men.
A group of organisms distinguished by common characteristics; often an informal infraspecific rank in taxonomy, below species
A group of organisms distinguished by common characteristics; often an informal infraspecific rank in taxonomy, below species: A population geographically separated from others of its species that develops significantly different characteristics; a mating group.
A group of organisms distinguished by common characteristics; often an informal infraspecific rank in taxonomy, below species: A strain of plant with characteristics causing it to differ from other plants of the same species.
A group of organisms distinguished by common characteristics; often an informal infraspecific rank in taxonomy, below species: A breed or strain of domesticated animal.
A group of organisms distinguished by common characteristics; often an informal infraspecific rank in taxonomy, below species: A strain of microorganism, fungi, etc.
A category or kind of thing distinguished by common characteristics.
Peculiar flavour, taste, or strength, as of wine; that quality, or assemblage of qualities, which indicates origin or kind, as in wine; hence, characteristic flavour.
Characteristic quality or disposition.
The sexual activity of conceiving and bearing biological offspring.
Ancestry, lineage.
A step in a lineage or succession; a generation.
Progeny, offspring, descendants.
Where this word comes from
1560s, via Middle French race from Italian razza (early 14th century), of uncertain origin. Partially displaced native Middle English kinde (“kind, type, sort, race, nature”), whence English kind. Fully displaced native Old English cnōsl and hād. theories * Diez and some other scholars suggest derivation from Proto-Germanic *raitō (whence Old High German reiza (“line”) and Old Norse ríta (“to score, log, outline”)), perhaps via Lombardic *raiza (“line”), which Körting notes is a literal rendering of Latin linea sanguinis (“bloodline of descent”). Anatoly Liberman says "the semantic fit is good" but the chronology falters; he says the Germanic word went out of use before the Italian word arose, and he says the intermediary is not attested. * Some scholars suggest derivation from Old Spanish raza, rasa, from earlier ras, res (“head of cattle”), from Arabic رَأْس (raʔs, “head”), but Italian razza predates the Spanish word according to Diez and Meyer-Lübke. * Meyer-Lübke suggested Latin generatio as the root; Körting says "the disappearance of two initial syllables hardly seems credible", but Meyer-Lübke notes the Venetian form narazza and the Old Bellunesian form naraccia, positing that after the first syllable ge- was lost, the remaining (una) narazza came to be reanalysed as una razza. * Gianfranco Contini suggests the Italian word comes from Old French haraz (“troop of horses”), whence Modern French haras (“breeding farm for horses; stud farm”), from Old Norse hárr (“grey-haired; hoary”). Liberman considers this derivation the most likely. * Other suggested Latin etyma: ** radius (perhaps via Vulgar Latin *radia) (per Baist). ** radix (“root”) (per Ulrich); Liberman says "the semantic match is excellent", and race (“rhizome of ginger”) (which definitely derives from radix) shows that the phonology is plausible. ** *raptiare (“breed falcons”) (per Körting). ** The nominative of ratio (perhaps via an unattested intermediate form *razzo), as opposed to ragione which derives from the accusative rationem. * Other implausible suggestions include Slavic raz and Basque arraca, supposedly meaning "stud animal" (Basque arrazza, "race", derives from Spanish).
To assign a race to; to perceive as having a (usually specified) race.
To pass down certain phenotypic traits to offspring.
Where this word comes from
1560s, via Middle French race from Italian razza (early 14th century), of uncertain origin. Partially displaced native Middle English kinde (“kind, type, sort, race, nature”), whence English kind. Fully displaced native Old English cnōsl and hād. theories * Diez and some other scholars suggest derivation from Proto-Germanic *raitō (whence Old High German reiza (“line”) and Old Norse ríta (“to score, log, outline”)), perhaps via Lombardic *raiza (“line”), which Körting notes is a literal rendering of Latin linea sanguinis (“bloodline of descent”). Anatoly Liberman says "the semantic fit is good" but the chronology falters; he says the Germanic word went out of use before the Italian word arose, and he says the intermediary is not attested. * Some scholars suggest derivation from Old Spanish raza, rasa, from earlier ras, res (“head of cattle”), from Arabic رَأْس (raʔs, “head”), but Italian razza predates the Spanish word according to Diez and Meyer-Lübke. * Meyer-Lübke suggested Latin generatio as the root; Körting says "the disappearance of two initial syllables hardly seems credible", but Meyer-Lübke notes the Venetian form narazza and the Old Bellunesian form naraccia, positing that after the first syllable ge- was lost, the remaining (una) narazza came to be reanalysed as una razza. * Gianfranco Contini suggests the Italian word comes from Old French haraz (“troop of horses”), whence Modern French haras (“breeding farm for horses; stud farm”), from Old Norse hárr (“grey-haired; hoary”). Liberman considers this derivation the most likely. * Other suggested Latin etyma: ** radius (perhaps via Vulgar Latin *radia) (per Baist). ** radix (“root”) (per Ulrich); Liberman says "the semantic match is excellent", and race (“rhizome of ginger”) (which definitely derives from radix) shows that the phonology is plausible. ** *raptiare (“breed falcons”) (per Körting). ** The nominative of ratio (perhaps via an unattested intermediate form *razzo), as opposed to ragione which derives from the accusative rationem. * Other implausible suggestions include Slavic raz and Basque arraca, supposedly meaning "stud animal" (Basque arrazza, "race", derives from Spanish).
A rhizome or root, especially of ginger.
Where this word comes from
Mid 16th century. From Middle French raïz, raiz, rais (“root”), from Latin radix (“root”), from Proto-Italic *wrādīks, from Proto-Indo-European *wréh₂ds.
To sharpen (a grindstone) by scraping its surface.
Alternative spelling of raze. To cut, scratch, or tear (someone or something) with a sharp object; to lacerate, to slash; specifically (nautical), to make marks on (something, such as a piece of wood) using a race knife.
Alternative spelling of raze. To physically destroy; to obliterate: To level or tear down (a building, a town, etc.) to the ground; to demolish.
Alternative spelling of raze. To physically destroy; to obliterate: To make (a path or way) through something by cutting or tearing.
Alternative spelling of raze. To physically destroy; to obliterate: To make a cut or slash in (an item of clothing or footwear) as a decoration.
Alternative spelling of raze. To erase; to delete; to edit: To alter (a document) by erasing parts of it.
Alternative spelling of raze. To erase; to delete; to edit: To erase (a record, text, etc.), originally by scraping; to rub out, to scratch out.
Alternative spelling of raze. To erase; to delete; to edit: To completely remove (someone or something), especially from a place, a situation, etc.; also, to remove from existence; to destroy, to obliterate.
Where this word comes from
A variant of raze. From Middle English rasen, racen, rase (“to scrape; to shave; to erase; to rend; to cleave; etc”), from Anglo-Norman raser, rasere, rasser, Middle French raser, and Old French raser (“to shave; to demolish”), from Vulgar Latin *raso (“to shave; to scrape”), from Latin rāsus (“scraped; shaved”), the perfect passive participle of rādō (“to scrape, scratch”). Doublet of rash (etymology 2 and etymology 7).
To pluck or snatch (something); also, to pull (something).
Where this word comes from
PIE word *wréh₂ds From Middle English racen, rasen (“to come apart; to pick clean, strip; to pull away, snatch; to pull down, knock down; to pull off, strip off; to pluck or tear out; to tear apart”), either: * an aphetic form of arasen, aracen (“to pluck, pull, or tear away or out”), from Anglo-Norman aracer and Old French aracier, esracier, esrachier (“to pull off”) (modern French arracher), from Latin ērādīcāre, the present active infinitive of ērādīcō (“to root out; to annihilate, extirpate”), from ē- (variant of ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’) + rādīx (“root”) (from Proto-Indo-European *wréh₂ds (“root”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation infinitives of verbs); or * from Anglo-Norman racer, an aphetic form of aracer (see above).
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Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.