U.S. policymakers must abandon the tired Russia-centric tack

tack 1 / tæk / noun

1 nail [ countable ] a small nail with a sharp point and a flat top

2 pin [ countable ] American English a short pin with a large round flat top, for attaching notices to boards, walls etc SYN thumbtack , drawing pin British English

3 way of doing something [ uncountable and countable ] the way you deal with a particular situation or a method that you use to achieve something :

If that doesn’t work, we’ll try a different tack .

Rudy changed tack , his tone suddenly becoming friendly.

4 ship

a) [ uncountable and countable ] the direction that a sailing boat moves, depending on the direction of the wind and the position of its sails

b) [ countable ] the action of changing the direction of a sailing boat, or the distance it travels between these changes :

a long tack into the bay

5 horses [ uncountable ] technical the equipment you need for riding a horse, such as a saddle etc

6 sewing [ countable ] a long loose stitch used for fastening pieces of cloth together before sewing them

7 ugly objects [ uncountable ] British English ugly cheap objects sold as decorations :

souvenir shops full of tack