rackets
B1Informal for noise/illegal activity; formal & informal for sports equipment.
Definition
Meaning
The plural form of 'racket', meaning (1) a piece of sports equipment with a handle and an open frame with strings, used for hitting a ball or shuttlecock in games like tennis, squash, or badminton; (2) a loud, unpleasant noise.
The word can also refer to (1) organized illegal activities for making money, such as protection rackets or illegal gambling operations; (2) the sound of rapid, lively, and often chaotic activity; (3) in historical contexts, a snowshoe.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The three primary meanings (sports equipment, noise, illegal activity) are homonyms derived from different etymologies. The 'noise' and 'illegal activity' senses are semantically linked in some uses, with a 'racket' implying a chaotic, disruptive, or unscrupulous enterprise.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The 'noise' meaning is somewhat dated in American English, but still understood. The spelling of the sports item is the same. The term 'racquetball' uses the French-derived 'racquet' spelling, while 'racket' is standard for tennis, etc.
Connotations
In both varieties, the 'illegal activity' meaning has strong negative connotations. 'Making a racket' is neutral to negative, simply describing loud noise.
Frequency
The sports equipment sense is most frequent in both. The 'illegal scheme' sense is common in news/crime contexts. The 'noise' sense is less frequent, especially in American English.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
play with [rackets]the racket of [something]be involved in a [rackets]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Make a racket”
- “Run a racket”
- “What a racket!”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Almost exclusively used for illegal business activities, e.g., 'The police cracked down on the protection rackets in the city.'
Academic
Rare, except in sports science or criminology papers discussing specific types of rackets.
Everyday
Most common for discussing sports, e.g., 'We need to buy new rackets for the tournament,' or complaining about noise, e.g., 'The kids are making a terrible racket upstairs.'
Technical
In sports engineering: specifications of rackets (weight, balance, string tension). In law enforcement: classification of criminal rackets.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The children were racketing about in the attic all afternoon.
American English
- They spent the night racketing around the city.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- We play tennis with our new rackets.
- The children are making a racket in the garden.
- Different sports require different kinds of rackets.
- The police discovered a smuggling racket at the port.
- The tension of the strings greatly affects a tennis racket's performance.
- He was accused of being the mastermind behind several fraudulent rackets.
- The proliferation of online gambling rackets has presented a new challenge for regulators.
- Amidst the racket of the construction site, concentration was nearly impossible.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a tennis player using two rackets to hit balls while making a loud racket and running an illegal betting racket on the side. One word, three chaotic scenes.
Conceptual Metaphor
NOISE IS DISRUPTIVE ACTIVITY; ILLEGAL ACTIVITY IS A NOISY/CHAOTIC GAME.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'ракетка' (sports equipment) when the context means 'шум' or 'незаконная афера'.
- The plural form 'rackets' for illegal schemes can be mistakenly translated as singular 'рэкет' (racketeering).
Common Mistakes
- Using 'rackets' as a singular verb (incorrect: 'He rackets the ball'; correct: 'He hits with a racket').
- Misspelling as 'racquets' in general contexts (while acceptable, 'rackets' is the more common spelling for the standard term).
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence does 'rackets' refer to an illegal activity?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it's informal. More formal alternatives are 'din', 'uproar', or 'clamour'.
They are variants. 'Racket' is the standard spelling for the sports equipment. 'Racquet' is an older, French-derived spelling still used in certain formal names (e.g., 'Racquet Club') and the sport 'racquetball'.
Yes, but it's rare and informal, meaning to make a loud noise or engage in lively, noisy activity (e.g., 'They racketed through the house').
They are closely related. A 'racket' is the specific illegal scheme. 'Racketeering' is the broader, often organized, practice of running such illegal businesses.