lace

[ leys ]

/ leɪs /

See synonyms for: lace / laced / lacelike on Thesaurus.com

noun

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), laced, lac·ing.

to fasten, draw together, or compress by or as if by means of a lace.

to pass (a cord, leather strip, etc.), as through holes.

to interlace or intertwine.

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), laced, lac·ing.

to be fastened with a lace: These shoes lace up the side.

to attack physically or verbally (often followed by into): The teacher laced into his students.

QUIZZES

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We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?

Question 1 of 11

Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?

owl

crow

piranha

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM lace

lacelike, adjectivelacer, nounre·lace, verb, re·laced, re·lac·ing.well-laced, adjective

Words nearby lace

Lacan, La Canada-Flintridge, Laccadive Islands, Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi Islands, laccolith, lace, lacebark, lace bug, lace-curtain, Lacedaemon, Lacedaemonian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for lace

You remember that doll’s dress as green instead of blue, because when you were that age your mother had a green dress with the same kind of lace collar as the doll’s.
Dark spaces on the map|Katie McLean|December 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
So in response, we meticulously designed the Clove sneaker with fluid-repellent laces and uppers made from liquid-repellent and stain-resistant Clarino fabric, which can be cleaned easily with the same antibacterial wipes used in the hospital.
This new sneaker brand is meant for health care workers|Rachel King|December 6, 2020|Fortune
They also have a sneaker that has no laces which I love when I really just need to slip something on.
UGG Taps Zuri Marley For Ready-To-Wear Campaign|Nandi Howard|November 23, 2020|Essence.com
The speed laces cinch tight for a secure fit and don’t flap around when I’m swimming, which is a problem with some similar models.
The Gear That Lets Me Enjoy the Last Days of Summer|Graham Averill|September 15, 2020|Outside Online

Parents have declared unequivocally that they want more than higher test scores and yet all funds to public schools are tied to test scores like laces on shoes.
Our Public Schools Have a Customer Service Problem|Thomas Courtney|September 10, 2020|Voice of San Diego
One 1918 example, in wispy silk chiffon and lace is even trimmed in mink!
What Lies Beneath: How Lingerie Got Sexy|Raquel Laneri|June 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the Forum Club, there is taffeta and lace, leather and gold.
Shaq, Year One|Charles P. Pierce|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I wanted the whole dress to glisten, so I used a lace with silver thread in it.
Meet the ‘Downton Abbey’ Costume Queen|Katie Baker|January 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What looked like ethnic or folk iconography was seen in the brightest of colors on suede, lace, and silk chiffon.
Valentino: Fit For a Queen|Alice Cavanagh|October 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Giorgio Armani Privé, which debuted in Paris on Tuesday, featured fine fabrics, loads of lace, and a neutral palette.
Giorgio Armani Fall Winter 2013/2014 Armani Prive Couture Collection|Alice Cavanagh|July 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The whole beauty of Brussels lace depends upon the evenness of the stitches.
Beeton's Book of Needlework|Isabella Beeton
Not one of them but bore its two ankers of the right French cognac, or its bale of silk of Lyons and lace of Valenciennes.
Rodney Stone|Arthur Conan Doyle
It was Mevrouw van Holp arrayed in the grandest of caps and the longest of satin aprons ruffled with lace.
Hans Brinker|Mary Mapes Dodge
Where children are present, the girls are dressed in sheer muslin or lace over silk slips, and adorned with fluttering ribbons.
Social Life|Maud C. Cooke
Lace curtains and moquette carpets would be nowhere apparent.
The Nation in a Nutshell|George Makepeace Towle

British Dictionary definitions for lace

lace

/ (leɪs) /

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)

(tr; usually passive and foll by with) to streak or mark with lines or coloursthe sky was laced with red

(tr) to intertwine; interlace

(tr) informal to give a sound beating to

Derived forms of lace

lacelike, adjectivelacer, noun

Word Origin for lace

C13 las, from Old French laz, from Latin laqueus noose

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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lace

noun

verb (used with object), laced, lac·ing.

verb (used without object), laced, lac·ing.

QUIZZES

DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!

Origin of lace

OTHER WORDS FROM lace

Words nearby lace

Example sentences from the Web for lace

British Dictionary definitions for lace

noun

verb

Derived forms of lace

Word Origin for lace

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

lace

noun

verb (used with object), laced, lac·ing.

verb (used without object), laced, lac·ing.

QUIZZES

DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!

Origin of lace

OTHER WORDS FROM lace

Words nearby lace

Words related to lace

Example sentences from the Web for lace

British Dictionary definitions for lace

noun

verb

Derived forms of lace

Word Origin for lace