Racing is competing against others to see who can move fastest from one point to another. People race on foot, on bicycles, in cars, on horses, in boats, on skis, and in just about any vehicle or method of movement you can imagine. In a race, everyone starts at the same time and follows the same course, with the winner being whoever crosses the finish line first.

Racing has existed for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks held foot races at the Olympic Games starting in 776 BC, and chariot racing thrilled audiences in Roman stadiums. Today, professional racing includes everything from the Kentucky Derby (horse racing) to the Indianapolis 500 (car racing) to the Tour de France (bicycle racing).

The word also means moving very quickly, whether or not you're in an actual competition. When your heart starts racing before a presentation, it beats faster than normal. When you race to finish your homework before dinner, you're working as quickly as you can. A race car is a vehicle built specifically for competitive racing, designed to go faster than regular cars.

You might hear someone say they're racing against time when they have a deadline approaching, or racing through a book when they can't put it down.