Word
Definition
n. a piece of sports equipment with a handle and a round frame with tight strings. You use it to hit the ball in games like tennis or badminton.
n. an oval-framed piece of equipment with a handle and a network of interlaced strings. Used for striking a ball or shuttlecock in various court games.
Examples
“I need to buy a new tennis racket before the tournament.”
“She gripped her racket tightly as she prepared to return the opponent's powerful serve.”
“Modern rackets are typically constructed from lightweight carbon fiber or graphite to provide players with a combination of power and maneuverability that wooden frames could never achieve.”
Examples
simple
“I need to buy a new tennis racket before the tournament.”
contextual
“She gripped her racket tightly as she prepared to return the opponent's powerful serve.”
complex
“Modern rackets are typically constructed from lightweight carbon fiber or graphite to provide players with a combination of power and maneuverability that wooden frames could never achieve.”
Usage
Commonly spelled 'racquet' in the context of squash or when emphasizing a more traditional or formal sports register.
Etymology
From Middle English raket, of uncertain origin. Possibly cognate with Middle French rachette, requette (“palm of the hand”). From Arabic رَاحَةْ اَلْيَد (rāḥat al-yad, “palm of the hand”). Alternatively, the term might be derived from Dutch raketsen instead, from Middle French rachasser (“to strike (the ball) back”).
Attested since the 1500s, of unclear origin; possibly a metathesis of the dialectal term rattick (“to shake, rattle”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A2 KeyIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.3.0–4.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 2.0–2.524–43TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.225–549
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- A2 · Elementary
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/racket
「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0
‘외래어’ data: 한국어기초사전 (국립국어원), CC BY-SA 2.0 KR