race

race¹ W2S2 [reıs] n

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1¦(sport)¦

2¦(people)¦

3¦(get/do something first)¦

4¦(do something quickly)¦

5¦(prize/power)¦

6¦(horse race)¦

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[Sense: 1, 3-6; Date: 1200-1300; : Old Norse; Origin: ras 'going quickly, running']

[Sense: 2; Date: 1500-1600; : French; Origin: Old Italian razza]

1.) ¦(SPORT)¦

a competition in which people or animals compete to run, drive etc fastest and finish first

in a race

▪ He will be the youngest runner in the race.

▪ She finished second in the race.

race between

▪ the annual boat race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities

▪ Over 80 cars will take part in the race .

▪ She has won her last four races .

▪ There are only three days to go until the big race (=important race) .

2.) ¦(PEOPLE)¦

a) [U and C]

one of the main groups that humans can be divided into according to the colour of their skin and other physical features

→ethnic group

▪ The school welcomes children of all races .

▪ a person of mixed race

▪ The law forbids discrimination on the grounds of race or religion.

→↑human race

b) [singular] informal

a group of people who are similar in some way

race of

▪ The 1960s produced a new race of young novelists.

▪ Are schools breeding (=producing) a race of children incapable of making decisions for themselves?

3.) ¦(GET/DO SOMETHING FIRST)¦ [singular]

a situation in which one group of people tries to obtain or achieve something before another group does

the race to do sth

▪ More and more drug companies are joining the race to beat cancer.

▪ The race is on to develop more environmentally friendly forms of energy.

→↑arms race, ↑rat race

4.) ¦(DO SOMETHING QUICKLY)¦ [singular]

a situation in which you have to do something very quickly because you have very little time available

a race to do sth

▪ It is now a race to find the killer.

race against time/against the clock

▪ The pilot then began a desperate race against time to land the plane before it ran out of fuel.

5.) ¦(PRIZE/POWER)¦ [singular]

a situation in which people are competing with each other to win a prize or obtain a position of power

race for

▪ Mr Bird has now officially joined the race for the White House.

▪ He is no longer in the race for academic awards.

race to do sth

▪ the race to host the next Olympic Games

6.) ¦(HORSE RACE)¦

the races

an occasion when horse races are held

at the races

▪ We spent a day at the races.

→play the race card at ↑play¹ (14)

race ²

race² v

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1¦(sport)¦

2¦(move quickly)¦

3¦(do something quickly)¦

4¦(heart/mind)¦

5¦(engine)¦

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1.) ¦(SPORT)¦

a) [I and T]

to compete against someone or something in a race

race against

▪ She'll be racing against some of the world's top athletes.

race in

▪ Stevens will not be racing in the final due to a knee injury.

race sb up/down sth etc

▪ I'll race you to the end of the road.

b) [T]

to use an animal or a vehicle to compete in a race

▪ He will be racing a Ferrari in this year's Formula One championships.

2.) ¦(MOVE QUICKLY)¦ [I,T always + adverb/preposition]

to move very quickly or take someone or something to a place very quickly

▪ He raced into the village on his bike.

▪ I had to race home for my bag.

race sb to sth etc

▪ She was raced to hospital.

race to do sth

▪ He raced to meet her.

3.) ¦(DO SOMETHING QUICKLY)¦ [I]

to try to do something very quickly because you want to be the first to do it, or because there is very little time available

race to do sth

▪ Investors are racing to buy shares in the new hi-tech companies.

race against time/the clock

▪ The astronauts are racing against time to repair the spaceship.

4.) ¦(HEART/MIND)¦ [I]

if your heart or mind races, it works harder and faster than usual, for example because you are afraid or excited

▪ My heart was racing and my knees shook uncontrollably.

▪ My mind was racing, trying to think where I had seen him before.

5.) ¦(ENGINE)¦ [I]

if an engine races, it runs too fast