What does "track" mean?
A mark left by something that has passed along.
Track
/tɹæk/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A mark left by something that has passed along.
- Grammar: track is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: course, path, rail, trail.
- Useful contrasts: abandon, detour, ignore.
- Usage evidence: The horses are coming down the track and it's neck and neck.
How to use "track"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "track" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "track" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "track" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "track" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "track" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "course" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "track", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A mark left by something that has passed along.
"Follow the track of the ship."
- 2 the act of participating in an athletic competition involving running on a track wordnet
- 3 A mark or impression left by the foot, either of man or animal.
"The fox tracks were still visible in the snow."
- 4 a course over which races are run wordnet
- 5 The entire lower surface of the foot; said of birds, etc.
Show 28 more definitions
- 6 any road or path affording passage especially a rough one wordnet
- 7 A road or other similar beaten path.
"Follow the track for a hundred metres."
- 8 a bar or pair of parallel bars of rolled steel making the railway along which railroad cars or other vehicles can roll wordnet
- 9 Physical course; way.
"Astronomers predicted the track of the comet."
- 10 a pair of parallel rails providing a runway for wheels wordnet
- 11 A path or course laid out for a race, for exercise, etc.
"The athletes ran round the track."
- 12 a groove on a phonograph recording wordnet
- 13 The direction and progress of someone or something; path.
"You cannot simply “get” your child back on track; you and others can only help your child with that task."
- 14 (computer science) one of the circular magnetic paths on a magnetic disk that serve as a guide for writing and reading data wordnet
- 15 The way or rails along which a train moves.
"They briefly closed the railway to remove debris found on the track."
- 16 an endless metal belt on which tracked vehicles move over the ground wordnet
- 17 A tract or area, such as of land.
- 18 evidence pointing to a possible solution wordnet
- 19 The street, as a prostitute's place of work. slang
"A real pimp is a gentleman, but these are pimps in gorilla suits. They hang around pimps, they have hoes on the track working for them, they may even look like pimps, but they are straight simps."
- 20 a distinct selection of music from a recording or a compact disc wordnet
- 21 Awareness of something, especially when arising from close monitoring.
"You will need to keep track of meetings with your lawyer and court deadlines."
- 22 a line or route along which something travels or moves wordnet
- 23 The distance between two opposite wheels on a same axletree.
- 24 Ellipsis of caterpillar track. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 25 The pitch.
- 26 Sound stored on a record.
- 27 The physical track on a record.
- 28 A song or other relatively short piece of music, on a record, separated from others by a short silence.
"My favourite track on the album is "Sunshine"."
- 29 A circular (never-ending) data storage unit on a side of magnetic or optical disk, divided into sectors.
- 30 The racing events of track and field; track and field in general. uncountable
"I'm going to try out for track next week."
- 31 A themed set of talks within a conference.
"This year's third annual Women's Institute will include two tracks—on health and organizational issues—because of the overwhelming response and demand for more workshops last year."
- 32 Clipping of trackshoe. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, colloquial
- 33 A specialization in senior high school. Some tracks consist of strands. Philippines
Verb
- 1 To continue over time.; To observe the (measured) state of a person or object over time. transitive
"We will track the raven population over the next six months."
- 2 make tracks upon wordnet
- 3 To continue over time.; To monitor the movement of a person or object. transitive
"Agent Miles has been tracking the terrorist since Madrid."
- 4 travel across or pass over wordnet
- 5 To continue over time.; To match the movement or change of a person or object. transitive
"My height tracks my father's at my age, so I might end up as tall as him."
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 go after with the intent to catch wordnet
- 7 To continue over time.; To travel so that a moving object remains in shot. intransitive, transitive
"The camera tracked the ball even as the field of play moved back and forth, keeping the action in shot the entire time."
- 8 carry on the feet and deposit wordnet
- 9 To continue over time.; To move. intransitive
"The hurricane tracked further west than expected."
- 10 observe or plot the moving path of something wordnet
- 11 To continue over time.; To traverse; to move across. transitive
"I've swept o'er the mountain, the forest and fell, / I've played on the rock where the wild chamois dwell; / I have tracked the desert so dreary and rude, / Through the pathless depths of its solitude; […]"
- 12 To continue over time.; To tow. transitive
- 13 To continue over time.; To exhibit good cognitive function. intransitive
"Is the patient tracking? Does he know where he is?"
- 14 To follow the tracks of. transitive
"My uncle spent all day tracking the deer, whose hoofprints were clear in the mud."
- 15 To discover the location of a person or object by following traces. transitive
"I tracked Joe to his friend's bedroom, where he had spent the night."
- 16 To make tracks on or to leave in the form of tracks. transitive
"In winter, my cat tracks mud all over the house."
- 17 To create a musical recording (a track). intransitive, transitive
"Lil Kyle is gonna track with that DJ next week."
- 18 To create a musical recording (a track).; To create music using tracker software. intransitive, transitive
"At the time, tracking chiptunes (i.e. using trackers) was the fundamental method of chipmusic-making."
- 19 To make sense; to be consistent with known information colloquial, intransitive
"Vitron isn't hiding anything. The oil is there, the books are open, everything tracks."
- 20 To separate into educational tracks, each of which teaches to a different level of ability.
"Most working class kids are purposely "tracked" through schools, kept uninformed about scholarships and remedial education/vocation programs and shepherded into dead-end jobs."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The horses are coming down the track and it's neck and neck."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "track"?
Common synonyms include: course, path, rail, trail, a reckoning of, a single.
How do you use "track" in a sentence?
The horses are coming down the track and it's neck and neck.
How do you pronounce "track"?
Pronounced /tɹæk/.
Etymology
From Middle English trak, tracke, from Old French trac (“track of horses, trail, trace”), of uncertain origin. Likely from a Germanic source, either Old Norse traðk ("a track; path; trodden spot"; > Icelandic traðk (“a track; path; tread”), Faroese traðk (“track; tracks”), Norwegian tråkke (“to trample”)) or from Middle Dutch trec, *trac, treck ("line, row, series"; > Dutch trek (“a draft; feature; trait; groove; expedition”)), German Low German Treck (“a draught; movement; passage; flow”). See tread, trek.