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• pace
  pace

  noun

  a rate of movement, especially in stepping, walking, etc..
• PACE
  PACE

  acronym

  Police and Criminal Evidence Act

pace

¹ American  

[peys] / peɪs /

noun

• paces
  plural

1. a rate of movement, especially in stepping, walking, etc..

   To raise your heart rate, walk at a brisk pace of five miles an hour.

2. a rate of activity, progress, growth, performance, etc.; tempo.

   The pace of the building's construction had slowed almost to a halt.

3. any of various standard linear measures, representing the space naturally measured by the movement of the feet in walking: roughly 30 to 40 inches (75 centimeters to 1 meter).

4. a single step.

   She took three paces in the direction of the door.

5. the distance covered in a step.

   Stand six paces inside the gates.

6. a manner of stepping; gait.

7. a gait of a horse or other animal in which the feet on the same side are lifted and put down together.

8. any of the gaits of a horse.

   Synonyms:

   single foot, run, walk, gallop, canter, jog, trot, rack, amble, step

9. a raised step or platform.

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verb (used with object)

• paces,
  present (3rd person singular)
• paced,
  past participle,  past
• pacing
  present participle

1. to set the rate of movement for, as in racing.

2. to traverse or go over with steps.

   He paced the floor nervously.

3. to measure by steps or by any of various standard linear measures representing the space naturally measured by the movement of the feet in walking.

4. to train to a certain pace; exercise in pacing.

   to pace a horse.

5. (of a horse) to run (a distance) at a pace.

   Hanover II paced a mile.

verb (used without object)

• paces,
  present (3rd person singular)
• paced,
  past participle,  past
• pacing
  present participle

1. to take slow, regular steps.

   Antonyms:

   skip, scamper, scurry

2. to walk up and down nervously, as to expend nervous energy.

3. (of a horse) to go at a pace.

idioms

1. set the pace, to act as an example for others to equal or rival; be the most progressive or successful.

   an agency that sets the pace in advertising.

2. put through one's paces, to cause someone to demonstrate their ability or to show their skill.

   The French teacher put her students through their paces for the visitors.

pace ² American  

[pey-see, pah-chey, pah-ke] / ˈpeɪ si, ˈpɑ tʃeɪ, ˈpɑ kɛ /

preposition

1. with all due respect to; with the permission of.

   I do not, pace my rival, hold with the ideas of the reactionists.

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pace ¹ British  

/ peɪs /

noun

1. 1. a single step in walking

   2. the distance covered by a step

2. a measure of length equal to the average length of a stride, approximately 3 feet See also Roman pace geometric pace military pace

3. speed of movement, esp of walking or running

4. rate or style of proceeding at some activity

   to live at a fast pace

5. manner or action of stepping, walking, etc; gait

6. any of the manners in which a horse or other quadruped walks or runs, the three principal paces being the walk, trot, and canter (or gallop)

7. a manner of moving, natural to the camel and sometimes developed in the horse, in which the two legs on the same side of the body are moved and put down at the same time

8. architect a step or small raised platform

9. to proceed at the same speed as

10. to test the ability of someone

11. to determine the rate at which a group runs or walks or proceeds at some other activity

12. to keep up with the speed or rate of others

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verb

1. (tr) to set or determine the pace for, as in a race

2. to walk with regular slow or fast paces, as in boredom, agitation, etc

   to pace the room

3. to measure by paces

   to pace out the distance

4. (intr) to walk with slow regular strides

   to pace along the street

5. (intr) (of a horse) to move at the pace (the specially developed gait)

PACE ² British  

/ peɪs /

acronym

1. Police and Criminal Evidence Act

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pace ³ British  

/ ˈpɑːkɛ, ˈpeɪsɪ, ˈpɑːtʃɛ /

preposition

1. with due deference to: used to acknowledge politely someone who disagrees with the speaker or writer

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pace More Idioms  

1. see change of pace; keep pace; put someone through his or her paces; set the pace; snail's pace.

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Synonym Usage

Pace, plod, trudge refer to a steady and monotonous kind of walking. Pace suggests steady, measured steps as of one completely lost in thought or impelled by some distraction: to pace up and down. Plod implies a slow, heavy, laborious, weary walk: The mailman plods his weary way. Trudge implies a spiritless but usually steady and doggedly persistent walk: The farmer trudged to his village to buy his supplies.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• paces
  plural

Participles

• pacing
  present
• paced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pace
  simple
• paces
  simple
• have paced
  perfect
• has paced
  perfect
• am pacing
  progressive
• are pacing
  progressive
• is pacing
  progressive
• have been pacing
  perfect progressive
• has been pacing
  perfect progressive

Past

• paced
  simple
• had paced
  perfect
• was pacing
  progressive
• were pacing
  progressive
• had been pacing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pace
  simple
• will have paced
  perfect
• will be pacing
  progressive
• will have been pacing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of pace¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English pas, from Old French, from Latin passus “step, pace,” equivalent to pad-, variant stem of pandere “to spread (the legs, in walking)” + -tus suffix of verbal action, with dt becoming ss

Origin of pace²

First recorded in 1860–65; from Latin pāce “in peace, by favor” (ablative singular of pāx “favor, pardon, grace, peace ”

Explanation

Pace is how fast something travels a particular distance, like a runner who tries to achieve a consistent pace, running each mile in more or less the same amount of time. Pace comes from the Latin word passus, meaning “a step.” Pace is a noun, meaning "the speed at which something happens." Some say city life has a faster pace because everyone hurries and there are so many exciting things to do. Pace is also a verb — if you pace yourself, you’ll have enough energy to experience all of that city's sights, from the rush of rush hour to the late-night party scene.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pace PACE paces paced pacing

China’s economic growth cooled to its weakest pace in over three years during the second quarter, as a surge in AI-driven exports wasn’t enough to offset a sluggish domestic economy and weak consumer spending.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

SpaceX is on pace to snap a four-week losing streak.

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

Interest rate hikes are a tool used by central banks aiming to slow the pace at which prices are rising in the shops.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

The stock is on pace for its largest percent increase since June 15, SpaceX’s first full day as a public company, according to Dow Jones Market Data.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

Duane tried to be civil, but in truth, he felt a little spooked, so he quickened his pace more and more until soon he was running away.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

One company betting on that shift is InnovAge, which participates in PACE, a federal program designed to keep frail seniors in their communities rather than in institutions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026

Launched in 2015, the county’s Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE, program had the stated goal of enabling homeowners to finance energy- and water-efficient home improvements, including solar panels and low-flow toilets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2024

The group called PACE, which stands for Practical Actions for Climate and the Environment, organises litter picks with reusable sacks and has planted 300 trees in a community orchard.

From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2022

Opponents of the plan were joined Thursday by European lawmakers from 47 nations in a report on sports published by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, known as PACE.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 2, 2021

The scene of the IN PACE, for example, in spite of its strength, verges dangerously on the province of the penny novelist.

From Familiar Studies of Men and Books by Stevenson, Robert Louis

"As expected, we didn't detect gamma rays from Mars, but we put the instrument through its paces, and it performed excellently."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

Cordero's wife, who was injured, rests in a makeshift tent while he puts the children, including his own three sons, through their paces.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

A chatbot can fool an adult anytime but a toddler could spot a fake at 50 paces.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

He was trying to land it four paces short of the pin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

A short, lean, brown-skinned woman in a gold jumpsuit slowly paces in front of him.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

The almost breathlessly paced choreography is set to Louis Moreau Gottschalk’s “Grande Tarantelle, Op. 67,” performed here with verve by Mr. Fowler.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

The briskly paced film is equally entertaining while recounting her wild adventures of yore and while following her around Manhattan and Fire Island today.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

Legally Blonde was "fun, fresh and brilliantly paced", she writes, but Elle is "dour, boring and tedious" despite its solid supporting cast, which includes James Van Der Beek in one of his final acting roles.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

Sharp, smartly paced and entertaining, it’s fantastic until the last stretch, which peters out and then abruptly stops.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

Hazel stood on the hillside in the morning sunlight, alone in the ruins except for Arion, who paced next to her, nickering impatiently.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

And its pacing problems still haven’t been solved — too many plot points feel rushed, while others are drawn out to the point of tedium, even with the series’ conclusion within sight.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

“While still very early, booking trends for 2027 are encouraging and pacing ahead of historical levels, including for itineraries where demand was impacted by geopolitical developments this year,” Chief Financial Officer Naftali Holtz said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Because proven therapies remain scarce, most medical recommendations focus on supportive strategies, including activity pacing and management of individual symptoms.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

How did you approach pacing your performance in the confines of a single day at work?

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

He begins pacing, pulling at his curly hair.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• clip
• momentum
• progress
• rate
• time
• velocity