track Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a line or route along which something travels or moves
    path; course.
    • the hurricane demolished houses in its path
    • the track of an animal
    • the course of the river
  2. noun evidence pointing to a possible solution
    trail; lead.
    • the police are following a promising lead
    • the trail led straight to the perpetrator
  3. noun a pair of parallel rails providing a runway for wheels
  4. noun a course over which races are run
    racecourse; raceway; racetrack.
  5. noun a distinct selection of music from a recording or a compact disc
    cut.
    • he played the first cut on the cd
    • the title track of the album
  6. noun an endless metal belt on which tracked vehicles move over the ground
    caterpillar track; caterpillar tread.
  7. noun (computer science) one of the circular magnetic paths on a magnetic disk that serve as a guide for writing and reading data
    data track.
  8. noun a groove on a phonograph recording
  9. noun a bar or pair of parallel bars of rolled steel making the railway along which railroad cars or other vehicles can roll
    runway; rail; rails.
  10. noun any road or path affording passage especially a rough one
    cartroad; cart track.
  11. noun the act of participating in an athletic competition involving running on a track
    running.
  12. verb carry on the feet and deposit
    • track mud into the house
  13. verb observe or plot the moving path of something
    • track a missile
  14. verb go after with the intent to catch
    go after; chase after; dog; trail; tail; tag; give chase; chase.
    • The policeman chased the mugger down the alley
    • the dog chased the rabbit
  15. verb travel across or pass over
    traverse; pass over; get across; cover; cross; cut through; get over; cut across.
    • The caravan covered almost 100 miles each day
  16. verb make tracks upon

WordNet

Track noun
Etymology
OF.trac track of horses, mules, trace of animals; of Teutonic origin; cf.D.trek a drawing, trekken to draw, travel, march, MHG. trechen, pret. trach. Cf. Trick.
Definitions
  1. A mark left by something that has passed along; as, the track, or wake, of a ship; the track of a meteor; the track of a sled or a wheel.
    The bright track of his fiery car. Shak.
  2. A mark or impression left by the foot, either of man or beast; trace; vestige; footprint.
    Far from track of men. Milton.
  3. (Zoöl.) The entire lower surface of the foot;-said of birds, ect.
  4. A road; a beaten path.
    Behold Torquatus the same track pursue. Dryden.
  5. Course; way; as, the track of a comet.
  6. A path or course laid out for a race, for exercise, ect.
  7. (Raolroad) The permanent way; the rails.
  8. Perhaps a mistake for tract. A tract or area, as of land. Obs. "Small tracks of ground." Fuller.
Track transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle tracked ; present participle & verbal noun tracking
Definitions
  1. To follow the tracks or traces of; to pursue by following the marks of the feet; to trace; to trail; as, to track a deer in the snow.
    It was often found impossible to track the robbers to their retreats among the hills and morasses. Macaulay.
  2. (Naut.) To draw along continuously, as a vessel, by a line, men or animals on shore being the motive power; to tow.

Webster 1913