track
- 01 A2 Elementary
n.a mark or footprint left on the ground by a person, animal, or vehicle.
n.a mark, footprint, or rut left by the passage of a person, animal, or vehicle.
Simple“We followed the deer tracks through the fresh snow in the woods.”
In context“The heavy rainfall had partially obscured the tire tracks, making it difficult for the investigators to determine the vehicle's direction of travel.”
- 02 A2 Elementary
n.a rough path or road, often made by people or animals walking there.
n.a rough, unpaved path or road typically formed by the repeated passage of people, animals, or vehicles.
Simple“The dirt track led us away from the main road and toward the farm.”
In context“The hikers abandoned the paved road for a narrow mountain track that promised a more direct route to the summit.”
- 03 A2 Elementary
n.the metal rails that a train travels on.
n.the pair of parallel metal rails over which a train or tram runs.
Simple“The train stopped because there was a fallen tree on the track.”
In context“Maintenance crews worked through the night to repair a section of the track that had buckled during the extreme summer heatwave.”
- 04 A2 Elementary
n.a special circular path used for races, like running or cycling.
n.a prepared circuit or course, typically oval, used for athletes, horses, or vehicles in competitive racing.
Simple“The runners lined up on the track for the final race of the day.”
In context“The new stadium features a high-performance synthetic track designed to reduce the impact on athletes' joints during long-distance events.”
- 05 B1 Intermediate
n.one song or piece of music on a CD, record, or digital album.
n.a single song or piece of music recorded on a larger collection such as an album or digital playlist.
Simple“My favorite track on the new album is the slow acoustic song.”
In context“The producer decided to remix the third track to give it a more contemporary electronic feel before the album's official release.”
- 06 B1 Intermediate
v.to follow the progress or movement of someone or something.
v.to monitor the progress, development, or physical movement of a subject over a period of time.
Simple“You can use the app to track your package while it is being delivered.”
In context“The research team used satellite tags to track the migration patterns of whales across the Pacific Ocean over several months.”
- 07 C1 Advanced
v.to be easy to understand or to match what you already know.
v.to be consistent with known facts or to follow a logical progression.
Simple“His story doesn't really track with what the other witnesses said.”
In context“The financial data simply doesn't track with the projected growth figures, suggesting a significant error in the initial accounting process.”
UsageUsually used in the negative ('doesn't track') to indicate a logical inconsistency.
Synonyms
Usage track record · track to become · track change
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.