# rack one's brain

> English word · Verb

## Definitions
1. To struggle to think of or remember something.

## Etymology
Combination of rack (“medieval torture method”), and brain, thus meaning “to cause the mind extreme discomfort”.
Variants include rack one's wit (1583) and rack one's memory, as well as cudgel one's brain / cudgel one's brains.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/rack-one-s-brain