1 C1 idiomatic slang
To go to sleep, especially in a military context by lying down on a rack (bunk).
"After the eighteen-hour exercise, the soldiers were told they could rack out for four hours before the next briefing."
rack out
C1 slang intransitive
Military slang: to lie down and sleep, especially on a bunk or rack.
In plain English
To go to bed and sleep, especially in a military setting where beds are called racks.
What does "rack out" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To stretch out on a rack (bunk) — to lie flat on one's bed.
Actually means
To go to bed and sleep, especially in a military setting where beds are called racks.
Usage tip
Originates in military, especially US Navy and Marine Corps slang, where a bunk or bed is called a 'rack.' 'Racking out' means going to sleep on one's rack. Now sometimes used more broadly in informal American English to mean sleeping or napping. Rarely used outside military contexts or communities familiar with military vocabulary.
Words that pair with "rack out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
bunk barracks nap exhausted early immediately
How to conjugate "rack out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
rack out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
racks out
he/she/it
Past simple
racked out
yesterday
Past participle
racked out
have + pp
-ing form
racking out
continuous
Hear "rack out" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "rack out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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