Definition of race noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

race

noun

OPAL W

/reɪs/

Idioms

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competition

[countable] a competition between people, animals, vehicles, etc. to see which one is the faster or fastest

a boat/foot race
a five-kilometre road race
Who won the race?
Shall we have a race to the end of the beach?
She ran a good race to finish second.
race between A and B a race between the two best runners of the club
race against somebody He's already in training for the big race against Bailey.
in a race Their horse came third in the race last year.

Extra Examples

He dropped out of the race with a pulled muscle after two laps.
He was paid $10 000 to throw the race.
I was leading the race until the halfway point.
I'm not in this race.
Let's have a race!
People are saying that the race was fixed.
He had to pull out of the race at the last minute.
She has won the race for the last five years.
There is a rumour that the race was fixed.
a race over two miles
the University Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge
the race against the Danish team
He took part in a 10-mile road race at the weekend.
He won the 20th stage of the Tour of Spain cycle race yesterday.
I bet I'd win a race between the two of us!
It's a desperately close race, but I think Martinez is just ahead.
The Kenyan took the women's race comfortably.

Topics Sports: other sportsa2

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

big
close
tight
…

verb + race

have
hold
organize
…

race + verb

be held
be run
take place
…

race + noun

meet
meeting
winner
…

preposition

in a/the race
out of a/the race
race against
…

See full entry

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[singular] a situation in which a number of people, groups, organizations, etc. are competing, especially for political power or to achieve something first

race for something Who will win the race for the White House?
race to do something The race is on (= has begun) to find a cure for the disease.
race between A and B The 1960 election was a close race between Nixon and Kennedy.
race against somebody She is in a tight race against her Republican opponent.
in a race He has taken a lead in the presidential race.
This week she dropped out of the leadership race.

see also arms race, rat race, space race

Extra Examples

The rival TV companies are in a race to bring out the first film drama of his life.
the race for nuclear supremacy
Two right-wing candidates lead the presidential race.

Topics Successb2

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

close
tight
two-horse
…

verb + race

be in
be involved in
join
…

preposition

in a/the race
race between
race for
…

See full entry

for horses

the races

[plural] a series of horse races that happen at one place on a particular day

to go to the races
We had a great day at the races.

Topics Sports: other sportsc1

people

[countable, uncountable] one of the main groups that humans can be divided into according to their physical differences, for example the colour of their skin; the fact of belonging to one of these groups

This custom is found in people of all races throughout the world.
legislation against discrimination on the grounds of race or gender
Race is a major issue in this election.
Britain has always been a country of many races and ethnicities.
Her poetry explores questions of race and identity.

animals/plants

[countable] a breed or type of animal or plant

a race of cattle

Topics Animalsc2

Word Originnoun senses 1 to 3 late Old English, from Old Norse rás ‘current’. It was originally a northern English word with the sense ‘rapid forward movement’, which gave rise to the senses ‘contest of speed’ (early 16th cent.) and ‘channel, path’. The verb dates from the late 15th cent. noun senses 4 to 6 early 16th cent. (denoting a group with common features): via French from Italian razza, of unknown ultimate origin.

Idioms

have a dog in the fight

(North American English also have a dog in the race/hunt)

(informal) to be involved in a situation so that you will gain or lose according to the result
- I really don't have a dog in this fight, so I can just enjoy the game.
- The employees have a dog in the hunt, so their views should be listened to.

a one, two, three, etc. horse race

a competition or an election in which there are only one, two, etc. teams or candidates with a chance of winning
- The women’s competition was a two horse race between last year’s winners Surrey and the previous champions Essex.

a race against time/the clock

a situation in which you have to do something or finish something very fast before it is too late
- Getting food to the starving refugees is now a race against time.

race to the bottom (economics)

a situation in which companies and countries compete with each other to produce goods as cheaply as possible by paying low wages and giving workers poor conditions and few rights
- They are caught in the cheap food syndrome, the race to the bottom, the chase for the lowest cost of production globally.

See race in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee race in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

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