re-rack

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitiveinformal

   To put weights or bars back onto their stand after using them in the gym.

   Grammar: Takes an object: re-rack the barbell.

   Patterns

   • re-rack something
   • re-rack the weights

   Please re-rack your dumbbells when you finish your set.

   He was too tired to re-rack the bar and left it on the floor.

   Staff asked everyone to re-rack plates before the gym closed.

2. 2verbtransitive

   To gather the balls back into the triangle or frame so a game of pool or billiards can start again.

   Grammar: Takes an object: re-rack the balls.

   Patterns

   • re-rack the balls
   • re-rack for another game

   After the break went badly, they agreed to re-rack the balls.

   She re-racked the table while her opponent chalked his cue.

   Let's re-rack and play best of three.

Word forms

Common combinations

re-rack the weights

Always re-rack the weights so the next person can use them.

re-rack the bar

He struggled to re-rack the bar after his last rep.

re-rack the balls

Let me re-rack the balls for the next game.

re-rack your plates

Please re-rack your plates after squatting.

forget to re-rack

People who forget to re-rack are the gym's biggest annoyance.

Synonyms and how they differ

put away

Put away is general for tidying anything, whereas re-rack is specific to weights or billiard balls.

return

Return only says something goes back to its place, not that it goes onto a rack.

reset

Reset suits a pool table or a game, but it does not suggest weights and racks.

Opposites

Word family

rack noun

a frame or stand for holding things

rack verb

to place on a rack

unrack verb

to lift a bar off its supports

racking noun

shelving or frames for storage

Commonly confused: re-rack or wrack?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “re-rack”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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