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# tack

«tack» in Mova's school dictionary: **a small nail with a flat head; a drawing pin or thumbtack…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (a tack, tacks); verb (tack, tacks, tacked, tacking); noun (tack — uncountable, for horses)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A tack is a small nail with a flat head; a drawing pin or thumbtack holds paper on a board. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tack/#m1)

2) To tack something is to fix it with tacks, or to sew it loosely with big temporary stitches. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tack/#m2)

3) (sailing) To tack is to change a sailing boat's direction by turning its front through the wind, so it can zigzag against the wind. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tack/#m3)

4) A tack is a way or plan of doing something: try a different tack. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tack/#m4)

5) Tack is the saddle, bridle and other equipment for riding a horse. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tack/#m5)

6) To tack something on is to add it at the end, often as an afterthought. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tack/#m6)

7) Tack can also be the sharp ticking sound a clock makes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tack/#m7)

### sense in the lessons

In everyday school life, notices are tacked to the noticeboard with thumbtacks (US) or drawing pins (UK). In sailing lessons and stories, a boat tacks to sail upwind. In horse riding, cleaning the tack is a chore at the stables. In problem-solving, "try a different tack" means try another method.

### examples

- Pin the poster up with a tack. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tack/#x1)
- Mum tacked the hem before sewing it properly. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tack/#x2)
- The sailors had to tack back and forth against the wind. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tack/#x3)
- That didn't work, so let's try a different tack. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tack/#x4)
- She cleaned the saddle and the rest of the tack. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tack/#x5)
- He tacked a joke on to the end of his speech. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tack/#x6)
- Ouch, I stepped on a tack! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tack/#x7)
- Use a thumbtack to hold the map on the wall. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tack/#x8)
- The clock said “tick! tack!” and the finger moved round; but as they entered, they remarked that they were now grown up. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tack/#x9)

### note

Safety: tacks are sharp; keep them away from small children. "Thumbtack" (US, Canada), "drawing pin" (UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ). "Blu Tack" (UK, Australia) is a sticky putty. "Tacky" can mean sticky or, informally, cheap-looking and tasteless.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «tack» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tack/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.