Webster's English Dictionary

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race

1. race \'ra-s\ n [ME ras, fr. ON ra-s; akin to OE r-s rush, L 
   (Xrorarii skirmishers, Gk ero-e- rush chiefly Scot  1: the act of running  
   2a: a strong or rapid current of water through a narrow channel  2b: a 
   heavy or choppy sea  2c: a watercourse used industrially  2d: the current 
   flowing in such a course  3a: a set course or duration of time  3b: the 
   course of life  4a: a running in competition  pl  4b: a meeting for 
   contests in the running esp. of horses  4c: a contest involving progress 
   toward a goal  5: a track or channel in which something rolls or slides; 
   specif :  a groove (as for the balls) in a bearing 6: SLIPSTREAM 
2. race vi 1: to run in a race  2: to go or move at top speed or out of 
   control  3: to revolve too fast under a diminished load  1: to engage in a 
   race with  2a: to enter in a race  2b: to race against  2c: to drive at 
   high speed  2d: to transport or propel at maximum speed  3: to speed (as an 
   engine) without a working load or with the transmission  disengaged
3. race n [MF, generation, fr. OIt razza] 1: a breeding stock of animals  
   2a: a family, tribe, people, or nation belonging to the same stock  2b: a 
   class or kind of individuals with common characteristics, interests,  or 
   habits 3: any of various infraspecific taxonomic groups : as  3a: 
   SUBSPECIES  3b: a permanent or fixed variety  3c: BREED  3d: a division of 
   mankind possessing traits that are transmissible by desce nt and sufficient 
   to characterize it as a distinct human type obs  4: inherited temperament 
   or disposition  5: distinctive flavor, taste, or strength