race

race

I

race¹ S2 W2 /reɪs/ noun1.  SPORT  [countable] 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.
    Over 80 cars will take part in the race.
    race between
    the annual boat race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities
2.  PEOPLE
  a. [uncountable and countable] 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 something
    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 something
    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 something
    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)
     

COLLOCATIONS

(for Meaning 1)

■ verbs
   ▪ compete in a race (also take part in a race) He is competing in his first race this year. | Runners from all over the world will take part in the race.
   ▪ have a race Let’s have a race__
   ▪ hold a race The race will be held on February 25th.
   ▪ win/lose a race He did not win another race that season.
   ▪ come first/last etc in a race (also finish first/last etc in a race) She came third in the race.
   ▪ lead the race (=be ahead of everyone else) He led the race from start to finish.
   ▪ finish the race Congratulations to Matthew, who finished the race in three hours 17 minutes.
   ▪ run a race I thought I ran a good race.
   ▪ enter somebody/something in a race The horse is entered in a race at Worcester the day after tomorrow.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + race
   ▪ tough/hard He said he expected the race to be tough.
   ▪ the big race (=an important race) There are only three days to go until the big race.
   ▪ a 3000 metres/10 km etc race He finished first in the 100 metres race.
   ▪ a horse/boat/bike etc race It’s legal to gamble on horse races.
   ▪ a road race (=when people run, cycle etc on ordinary roads) She regularly competes in 10 kilometre road races.
     

COLLOCATIONS

(for Meaning 5)

■ verbs
   ▪ enter/join the race There was speculation that another candidate might enter the race.
   ▪ drop out of/withdraw from the race He dropped out of the presidential race three weeks ago.
   ▪ stay in the race Forbes has the money to stay in the mayoral race as long as he likes.
   ▪ win a race It looks as though he will win the race to be the Democratic presidential candidate.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + race
   ▪ close/tight Most people were predicting a close race.
   ▪ a three-horse/three-way race (=when three people have a chance of winning) In a three-way race, Clinton received 47 percent, Dole 35 percent, Perot 10 percent.
   ▪ a two-horse/two-way race It soon became clear that it would be a two-horse race.
   ▪ a one-horse race This is turning into a one-horse race.
   ▪ a presidential/Senate/mayoral race He put $12 million of his own money into a Senate race.
■ phrases
   ▪ be still in the race (=still have a chance of winning) Swindon Town is still in the race, despite losing to Manchester City on Saturday.
     

THESAURUS

(for Meaning 2)

   ▪ race one of the main groups of people in the world, who have the same colour of skin and other physical features: Everybody should be treated equally regardless of their race or sex. | race relations (=the relationship between people of different races)
   ▪ nation a country and its people, or a group of people with the same history and language: Japan has become one of the richest nations in the world. | Our dream is for a united Arab nation.
   ▪ people the people who belong to a particular country, race, or area. The plural of this meaning of people is peoples: the American people | the native peoples of the islands
   ▪ tribe a group of people in a country who are the same race, with the same traditional way of life and the same leader: a tribe in Papua New Guinea | Bedouin tribes
   ▪ ethnic group a group of people of the same race, nation, or tribe: Within Namibia there are more than a dozen different ethnic groups. | the needs of minority ethnic groups

II

race² verb
1.  SPORT
  a. [intransitive and transitive] 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 somebody up/down something etc
    I’ll race you to the end of the road.
  b. [transitive] 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  [intransitive, transitive 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 somebody to something etc
    She was raced to hospital.
    race to do something
    He raced to meet her.
3.  DO SOMETHING QUICKLY  [intransitive] 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 something
    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  [intransitive] 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  [intransitive] if an engine races, it runs too fast