jack

The word “jack” means a mechanical device used to lift something heavy off the ground, especially to raise a car to change a tyre. In plain terms, has a huge range of meanings, but the everyday ones are: the tool for lifting a car, the playing card, a plug socket, or (slang) money.

“Jack” is pronounced JAK (/ˈd͡ʒæk/ in IPA).

Here is “jack” used in a sentence: “He grabbed the jack from the trunk to change the flat tire.”

Depending on how it is used, “jack” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “jack” comes from Anglo-Norman. From the medieval given name "Jacques" (via Anglo-Norman), which became a generic English word for "a man" or "a fellow" and later attached itself to countless tools, devices, and objects.

“Jack” is a very common word in modern English.

“Jack” has 7 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a mechanical device used to lift something heavy off the ground, especially to raise a car to change a tyre.

A car jack lifts a vehicle by converting a small effort into a large lifting force. A scissor jack uses a turning screw that draws its sides together, raising the top. A hydraulic or bottle jack uses fluid pressure from a pump to push a piston up. Both let one person raise a heavy car safely.

Common types include the scissor jack, supplied with many cars; the hydraulic bottle jack, tall and powerful; the trolley or floor jack used in garages; and the high-lift or farm jack for rough terrain. All are mechanical devices designed to raise heavy loads, differing mainly in mechanism, height, and lifting capacity.

A jack raises a vehicle off the ground, but it is not meant to hold it there for long. An axle stand, or jack stand, is a fixed support placed under a raised car to hold it safely while you work. You lift with the jack, then rest the weight on stands.