track

1 of 2

noun

ˈtrak

Synonyms of track next

: a footprint whether recent or fossil

the huge track of a dinosaur

: detectable evidence (such as the wake of a ship, a line of footprints, or a wheel rut) that something has passed

: a path made by or as if by repeated footfalls : trail

: a course laid out especially for racing

: the parallel rails of a railroad

e(1)

: material recorded especially on or as if on a track

instrumental tracks

a bonus commentary track on a DVD

(2)

: one of a series of parallel or concentric paths along which material (such as music or information) is recorded (as on a phonograph record or magnetic tape)

(3)

: a group of grooves on a phonograph record containing recorded sound

: a usually metal way (such as a groove) serving as a guide (as for a movable lighting fixture)

: a sequence of events : a train of ideas : succession

: an awareness of a fact, progression, or condition

keep track of the costs

lose track of the time

: track-and-field sports

especially : those performed on a running track

: the course along which something moves or progresses

: a way of life, conduct, or action

: one of several curricula of study to which students are assigned according to their needs or levels of ability

: the projection on the earth's surface of the path along which something (such as a missile or an airplane) has flown

: the width of a wheeled vehicle from wheel to wheel and usually from the outside of the rims

: the tread of an automobile tire

: either of two endless belts on which a tracklaying vehicle travels

trackless

ˈtrak-ləs

adjective

track

2 of 2

verb

tracked; tracking; tracks

transitive verb

: to follow the tracks or traces of : trail

: to search for by following evidence until found

track down the source

: to follow by vestiges : trace

: to observe or plot the moving path of (something, such as a spacecraft or missile) often instrumentally

: to carry (mud or other material) on the feet and deposit

tracking mud into the kitchen

: to make tracks upon

: to keep track of (something, such as a trend) : follow

: to travel over : traverse

track a desert

intransitive verb

: travel

a comet tracking eastward

a of a pair of wheels

(1)

: to maintain a constant distance apart on the straightaway

(2)

: to fit a track or rails

of a rear wheel of a vehicle : to follow accurately the corresponding fore wheel on a straightaway

of a phonograph needle : to follow the groove undulations of a recording

: to leave tracks (as on a floor)

tracker noun

Phrases

in one's tracks

: where one stands or is at the moment : on the spot

was stopped in his tracks

on track

: achieving or doing what is necessary or expected

Choose the Right Synonym for track

trace, vestige, track mean a perceptible sign made by something that has passed.

trace may suggest any line, mark, or discernible effect.

the killer left no traces

vestige applies to a tangible reminder such as a fragment or remnant of what is past and gone.

boulders that are vestiges of the last ice age

track implies a continuous line that can be followed.

the fossilized tracks of dinosaurs

Example Sentences

Noun Follow the track into the forest. The train to Chicago will leave track 3. Verb He tracked the deer for a mile. The detectives tracked the killer to Arizona. The ship can track incoming missiles with radar. Meteorologists are tracking the storm. The study tracked the patients over the course of five years. The squadron will track north by northeast for 40 miles. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Collins, Redfield and acting Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority Director Dr. Gary Disbrow all expressed cautious optimism that the U.S. government is on track to develop a safe and effective vaccine by the end of 2020, and have 300 million doses ready in early 2021. —

Jason Silverstein, CBS News, 3 July 2020 The battle between the US, the world’s largest consumer market (though China was on track to overtake it last year) and the world’s leading manufacturer has been reshaping global trade. —

Marc Bain, Quartz, 2 July 2020 Typically, younger students will need more assistance to keep focused and remain on track, while secondary-level students can work more independently, Cunningham said. —

Brandi Addison, Dallas News, 2 July 2020 To get things back on track, put down the exfoliants and reinforce your barrier function with lots of moisture. —

Sarah Wu, Glamour, 1 July 2020 Some of the old houses are vacant and derelict; others were hauled out of the settlements, leaving not so much as a gravel track behind, because the people who lived there rode horses. —

Larissa MacFarquhar, The New Yorker, 29 June 2020 Payton eventually gets them back on track, noting that there is no way Hadassah would really leave. —

Shannon Carlin, refinery29.com, 24 June 2020 Steve Page, president of the Sonoma Raceway north of San Francisco, revealed on Monday that a noose was left on track grounds. —

NBC News, 23 June 2020 When Busta and Swizz linked up on Instagram Live last weekend for Zone Radio with Busta Rhymes, Busta explained why the track never came out. —

Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 22 June 2020

Verb

But variations in these links within a species might also track with different abilities. —

Michele Solis, Scientific American, 7 July 2020 But according to data collected by The Associated Press, the system that was meant to track and monitor the people undergoing quarantine lost track of at least 1,600 Americans. —

Fox News, 5 July 2020 The data illustrates, for example, how police track protesters and discusses groups like the antifascist movement Antifa. —

Lily Hay Newman, Wired, 3 July 2020 However, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Jung Eun-kyeong said on Thursday that health workers are struggling to track transmissions that are spreading quickly due to less social distancing, according to the Associated Press. —

NBC News, 11 June 2020 To assist and figure out exactly what was going on, the team attempted to track the Green Turtle population. —

Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 10 June 2020 Scott has introduced the Walter Scott Notification Act, which would compel states to track and record the details, including race, of every police shooting. —

Susan Ferrechio, Washington Examiner, 9 June 2020 Digital security activists also suggest storing your phone in a Faraday bag, which can prevent it from sending and receiving signals that track a person's location. —

Erin Corbett, refinery29.com, 4 June 2020 Two have passed, and seven are still alive in committees, according to the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group that tracks these bills. —

Daniel Scheffler, SPIN, 1 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'track.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.