Illustration of racket
- A tennis
- B racquetball
- C badminton
variants
or racquet
1
: a lightweight implement that consists of a netting (as of nylon) stretched in a usually oval open frame with a handle attached and that is used for striking the ball or shuttlecock in various games (such as tennis, racquets, or badminton)
2
usually racquets plural in form but singular in construction
: a game for two or four players with ball and racket on a 4-walled court
1
: confused clattering noise : clamor
2
a
: social whirl or excitement
b
: the strain of exciting or trying experiences
3
a
: a fraudulent scheme, enterprise, or activity
b
: a usually illegitimate enterprise made workable by bribery or intimidation
c
: an easy and lucrative means of livelihood
d
slang
: occupation, business
racketed; racketing; rackets
Examples of racket in a Sentence
Noun (2)
if all the racket on the stairs is any indication, someone must be moving into apartment 3B
Recent Examples on the Web
Camelia Heins, Daily News, 19 May 2026
Though Williams has hung up her tennis racket, the sports legend is still taking big swings as an investor.
—Mirtha Donastorg, AJC.com, 18 May 2026
Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for racket
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The Long Beach native, who attended Long Beach Poly High School, first picked up a tennis racket at the age of 11 and played actively in the courts off-campus (since Poly did not offer girl’s sports at the time).
—Camelia Heins, Daily News, 19 May 2026
Though Williams has hung up her tennis racket, the sports legend is still taking big swings as an investor.
—Mirtha Donastorg, AJC.com, 18 May 2026
Verb
After endorsing Head tennis rackets his entire career, Murray this spring started using a Yonex racket.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for racket
Cite this Entry
“Racket.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racket. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
racket
1 of 3 noun
rack·et
variants
or racquet
1
: a light implement consisting of a handle attached to an open frame with a network of strings stretched across it that is used to hit the object in play (as a ball) in various games (as tennis, badminton, or racquetball)
racket
2 of 3 noun1
: a loud confused noise
2
a
: a dishonest scheme for obtaining money (as by cheating or threats)
b
: an easy way to make money or earn a living
is that all you do? What a racket
racket
3 of 3 verb
: to make a racket
Etymology
Noun
from early French raquette "racket" derived from Latin rasceta "wrist," from Arabic rusgh (same meaning)
Noun
origin unknown
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
