Meaning of track In English

• 0 the pair of long metal bars fixed on the ground at an equal distance from each other, along which trains travel:

  • a ten-mile stretch of track

  • Passengers are requested not to walk across the tracks.

  • The house is at the end of a dirt/an unmade track.

• 1 a type of path or road, often in the shape of a ring, that has been specially designed and built for sports events, especially racing:

  • an all-weather track

  • a dog/horse track

  • The runners are now on their final lap of the track.

  • a track event

  • Sam runs track on the high school team.

• 2 a mark or line of marks left on the ground or on another surface by an animal, person, or vehicle that has moved over it, showing the direction they moved in:

  • Police found tyre tracks in the mud.

  • The hunters followed the tracks of the deer for hours.

  • The burglars were careful not to leave any tracks behind them.

  • The police are on the track of the killer.

• 3 the direction that something has taken or will take through the air:

  • People living in the track of the hurricane have been advised to leave their homes until it has passed.

• 4 the direction in which someone's job or education develops:

  • She was a lawyer, but then she changed track completely and became a doctor.

  • I found it difficult to follow the track of his argument.

  • I think we're getting off the track here - we're supposed to be discussing our advertising campaign.

• 5 a group of school students with similar ability who are approximately the same age and are taught together:

  • Students who do well in their 8th grade classes will qualify for the honors track in high school.

  • the top/bottom track

• 6 one of several songs or pieces of music on a CD or other musical recording:

  • The album includes four previously unreleased tracks.

  • When a piece of music is recorded, each instrument is recorded separately on a 24 or 48-track tape.

• 7 to follow a person or animal by looking for proof that they have been somewhere, or by using electronic equipment:

  • It's difficult to track an animal over stony ground.

  • The military use radar satellites to track targets through clouds and at night.

  • The terrorists were tracked to (= found in) Amsterdam.

  • The study tracked the careers of 1,226 doctors who trained at the Medical School.

• 8 If a film or video camera tracks in a particular direction, it moves along while it is filming:

  • The movie ends with a long tracking shot around the deserted house.

  • Our VCR tracks automatically.

• 9 to follow the level of an interest rate, share price, etc.:

  • The mortgage deal will track the Bank of England base rate plus 0.75 percent.

  • Tony is putting £500 a month into a a savings account that tracks the FTSE All-Share index.

• 10 to group and teach together school students with similar abilities who are approximately the same age:

  • We start to track the children in the third form.

• 11 a path that is narrower than a road, often with an uneven surface:

  • We walked along a muddy track at the side of the field.

• 12 a mark or line of marks left on a surface, esp. the ground, by a moving animal, person, or vehicle, that shows the direction of travel:

  • deer tracks in the snow

• 13 the sport of competitive running, or a wide, circular path that is made for this sport:

  • [ U ] Fall sports include football, hockey, and track.

  • [ C ] a dog/thoroughbred track

• 14 one of several songs or pieces of music on a musical recording

• 15 to follow something that moves or changes by noticing marks or signs that it has left behind:

  • The study tracked the careers of 1226 doctors who trained at Harvard Medical School.

  • The kids are always tracking mud in the kitchen.

• 16 the direction that something has taken or in which it is moving:

  • They are able to forecast the track of the storm days in advance.

• 17 the way in which something develops or might develop:

  • on the right/wrong track We believe we are on the right track to grow the business in the coming months.

• 18 the type of education or career someone chooses and the way it develops:

  • She was a lawyer, but then she changed track completely and became a doctor.

  • Students perform better once engaged in a career track with clear expectations of what it takes to get a job.

  • a vocational/academic track

• 19 the way in which a thought or idea has developed or might develop:

  • I found it difficult to follow the track of his argument.

• 20 to keep a record of something, or make certain that you know or remember what has happened:

  • Keep track of the hours you work.

  • His job is to keep track of all the shipments going out to customers.

• 21 to stop keeping a record of something, or stop being certain that you know or remember what has happened:

  • I have lost track of the number of times you have been late this month.

  • So many customers came in that I lost track after an hour.

• 22 making progress and likely to succeed or achieve a particular thing:

  • They're on track to make record profits.

• 23 to follow the movement or progress of something or someone:

  • The company set up a database to help track sales across the country.

  • Investigators are tracking streams of the contaminated food through several states.

• 24 to record the progress or development of something over a period:

  • We have been tracking the trends in computer sales for over ten years.

  • The study tracked the careers of 1226 doctors who trained at the University of Michigan Medical School.

• 25 to follow the level of an interest rate:

  • The mortgage deal will track the Bank of England base rate plus 0.75 pc.

• 26 to follow the level of a particular share index:

  • Tony is putting £500 a month into a savings account which tracks the FTSE All-Share index.