English Explanatory Dictionary

rack one's brain

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To struggle to think of or remember something.

Pronunciation

En-au-rack one's brain.ogg

Word forms

rack one's brain racks one's brain racking one's brain racked one's brain rack one's brains wrack one's brain wrack one's brains

Etymology

Combination of rack (“medieval torture method”), and brain, thus meaning “to cause the mind extreme discomfort”. Variants include rack one's wit (1583) and rack one's memory, as well as cudgel one's brain / cudgel one's brains.

Related words

beat one's brains
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