/ ˈrækɪt; NAmE / noun
1.
[ sing. ] ( informal ) a loud unpleasant noise
SYN din :
Stop making that terrible racket!
2.
[ C ] ( informal ) a dishonest or illegal way of getting money :
a protection / extortion / drugs, etc. racket
3.
(also rac·quet ) [ C ] a piece of sports equipment used for hitting the ball, etc. in the games of tennis , squash or badminton . It has an oval frame, with strings stretched across and down it.
—compare bat
4.
rackets , racquets [ U ] a game for two or four people, similar to squash , played with rackets and a small hard ball in a court with four walls
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WORD ORIGIN
senses 3 to 4 early 16th cent.: from French raquette , via Italian from Arabic rāḥa , rāḥat- palm of the hand.
senses 1 to 2 mid 16th cent.: perhaps imitative of clattering.