rack ‧ et /ˈrækət, ˈrækɪt/ BrE AmE noun
[ Sense 1-2: Date: 1500-1600 ; Origin: Probably from the sound. ]
[ Sense 3: Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: French ; Origin: raquette , from Italian racchetta , from Arabic rahah 'front of the hand' ]
1 . [singular] informal a loud noise:
The old machine used to make an awful racket.
2 . [countable] informal a dishonest way of obtaining money, such as by threatening people or selling them illegal goods
drugs/gambling/smuggling etc racket
Police believe he is involved in an international smuggling racket.
⇨ protection racket at ↑ protection (5)
3 .
[countable] ( also racquet ) a specially shaped piece of wood or metal that you use for hitting the ball in games such as tennis, that has a circle filled with tight strings at one end ⇨ bat :
a tennis racket
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THESAURUS
▪ noise a loud sound, especially an unpleasant one:
Traffic noise is a problem in inner-city areas.
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Why is the washing machine making so much noise?
▪ racket/din a loud unpleasant noise, especially one that annoys you. Racket is more informal than din :
I wish those kids would stop making such a racket.
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I shouted to make myself heard above the din of the crowd.
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the din of battle
▪ row British English a very loud unpleasant noise, especially one that continues for a long time:
the deafening row of the loudspeakers
▪ roar a loud noise that continues for a long time – used about the noise from an engine, the traffic, a crowd, the sea, or the wind:
She heard the roar of a motorbike behind her.
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the roar of the waves breaking on the beach
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the roar of the crowd at the Blue Jays baseball game
▪ hubbub especially written the unclear sound of a lot of people talking and moving around in a place:
It’s a wonderful place to escape from the hubbub of London’s busy streets.
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His voice rose above the hubbub.
▪ commotion especially written a noise made by people arguing or fighting:
There was a big commotion going on outside the building.
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He went downstairs to find out what was causing the commotion.
▪ clamour British English , clamor American English literary a loud noise made by a group of people or things all making a noise at the same time:
They heard the clamour of angry voices.
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the clamor of the rain on the roof
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the clamour of typewriters
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the clamour of the birds