lace
Americannoun
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laces
plural
-
a netlike ornamental fabric made of threads by hand or machine.
-
a cord or string for holding or drawing together, as when passed through holes in opposite edges.
-
ornamental cord or braid, especially of gold or silver, used to decorate uniforms, hats, etc.
-
a small amount of alcoholic liquor or other substance added to food or drink.
verb (used with object)
-
laces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
laced,
past participle, past
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lacing
present participle
-
to fasten, draw together, or compress by or as if by means of a lace.
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to pass (a cord, leather strip, etc.), as through holes.
-
to interlace or intertwine.
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to adorn or trim with lace.
-
to add a small amount of alcoholic liquor or other substance to (food or drink).
He took his coffee laced with brandy.
-
to lash, beat, or thrash.
-
to compress the waist of (a person) by drawing tight the laces of a corset, or the like.
-
to mark or streak, as with color.
verb (used without object)
-
laces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
laced,
past participle, past
-
lacing
present participle
-
to be fastened with a lace.
These shoes lace up the side.
-
to attack physically or verbally (often followed byinto ).
The teacher laced into his students.
noun
-
a delicate decorative fabric made from cotton, silk, etc, woven in an open web of different symmetrical patterns and figures
-
a cord or string drawn through holes or eyelets or around hooks to fasten a shoe or garment
-
ornamental braid often used on military uniforms, etc
-
a dash of spirits added to a beverage
verb
-
to fasten (shoes, etc) with a lace
-
(tr) to draw (a cord or thread) through holes, eyes, etc, as when tying shoes
-
(tr) to compress the waist of (someone), as with a corset
-
(tr) to add a small amount of alcohol or drugs to (food or drink)
-
to streak or mark with lines or colours
the sky was laced with red
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(tr) to intertwine; interlace
-
informal (tr) to give a sound beating to
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
lacesimple
-
lacessimple
-
have lacedperfect
-
has lacedperfect
-
am lacingprogressive
-
are lacingprogressive
-
is lacingprogressive
-
have been lacingperfect progressive
-
has been lacingperfect progressive
Past
-
lacedsimple
-
had lacedperfect
-
was lacingprogressive
-
were lacingprogressive
-
had been lacingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of lace
1175–1225; (noun) Middle English las < Old French laz, las ≪ Latin laqueus noose; (v.) Middle English lasen < Middle French lacier, lasser, lachier ( French lacer ) ≪ Latin laqueāre to enclose in a noose, trap
Explanation
Your grandmother's kitchen curtains might be made from lace, a delicate fabric with twists and loops forming patterns of holes. Lace is often used for fancy dresses, special doilies and tablecloths, and decorative accents. You can also use the noun lace to describe the cord you tie your sneakers with, and the verb lace can mean twist or braid or intertwine: "The two friends lace their arms around each other and skip across the playground." Lace is surprisingly related to lasso, a loop of rope carried by a cowboy — both words are rooted in the Latin laqueus, "noose or snare."
Vocabulary lists containing lace
Flying Lessons & Other Stories
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The Mayor of Casterbridge
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Fabulous Fabrics
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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.
See Examples For:
She wears a pearl-trimmed French hood; a dark, square-necked gown with white lace, gold and pearl trim; a pearl necklace; and, with one exception, a pearl necklace with the pendant initials “AB” or “B.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Women in lace mantillas and gold jewelry pass on their way to somewhere ornate.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
Since then, several technical studies and two test trips with a full-scale reproduction of the tapestry have been undertaken to meet the logistical challenge of transporting a work as delicate as lace.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
They said no DNA belonging to their client had been found on key exhibits in recent tests, including the lace.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Ophie cast her eyes around the room for something to distract the cousins before they could get started on her when she noticed an eerie light out in the garden, just beyond the lace curtains.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
Three-time Grand Slam champion Murray, who married wife Kim in 2015, famously briefly lost his wedding band after playing with it tied to his shoe laces.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
The director laces a 16th-century period drama with a series of mysteries in his latest film, which centers on a samurai who rebels against the local warlord.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
On paper, the dialogue may seem stiff and silly, but Lewis laces these words with enough sorrow to fill the room.
From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2026
The scathing second-shift commentary that laces this otherwise traditional crime-drama on Peacock made many of its a-ha moments go viral.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
Two pairs of shoes, heavy leather shoes that tied with laces.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
Despite the vast trove of limited series available these days, over-the-top ‘80s-style melodramas like this, sagas laced with delectable malice, simply do not exist today. “
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
To some degree, the AI race is laced with inflation concerns for the stock market in the near term, as strong demand for chips has led to pricing power for companies that make them.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 5, 2026
Among many poignant episodes, Mr. Ryrie follows John Ogilvie’s successful evangelizing among Mohawks in 1750s Virginia, a story laced with irony.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Microplastics also get released into the environment when people use products laced with the particles.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” he shouts back at me, his voice laced with fury, and I know I struck a chord.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
The lacing of the back was so extensive, and I had nails.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Ilkay Gundogan executed his effort with perfection, lacing a ferocious, dipping strike into David de Gea's top corner, the Manchester United stopper only able to watch it fly in.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
“Not a star, just another has-been, lacing up his sneakers in an empty gym on a Wednesday night.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026
It also feels like a moment — to use a sports metaphor, which I’m not an athlete — that you’re lacing up your shoes.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2025
As much as he could, Bran preferred to dress himself, but there were some tasks—pulling on breeches, lacing his boots—that vexed him.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
