Synonyms

off-the-rack

American

[awf-thuh-rak, of-] / ˈɔf ðəˈræk, ˈɒf- /

adjective

(of clothing) not made to specific or individual requirements; ready-made.

off-the-rack men's suits.
Slang. off-the-wall.

off the rack Idioms

Ready-made, as in She has all her clothes made; she never buys a dress off the rack. The rack here is a frame from which clothes are hung. [Mid-1900s] A British synonym is off the peg, similarly alluding to a knob from which clothes are hung and dating from the late 1800s. Also see off the shelf.

Etymology

Origin of off-the-rack

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

At the start of the 1970s, before the dollar’s link to gold was severed, an ounce might have gotten you an off-the-rack seersucker at J.C.

From The Wall Street Journal

But packing clothes for the Australian leg of her “Enough” book tour was an off-the-rack delight, not a trip down a shame spiral.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s the shift from battleships to PT boats, from handmade suits to off-the-rack ones.

From MarketWatch

Perversely enough, these shows also take viewers into other worlds — those of middling wealth and off-the-rack glamour that seem just out of reach.

From Salon

But there are times when off-the-rack arrangements just won’t cut it.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023