lacing

American  

[ley-sing] / ˈleɪ sɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that laces.

2. a trimming of lace or braid.

3. a beating or thrashing.

4. a small amount of alcoholic liquor or any other substance added to food or drink.

5. a lace used for fastening, as in a shoe or corset.

6. Building Trades, Engineering. any member or members, as a batten plate or steel bars, uniting the angles or flanges of a composite girder, column, or strut.

7. Also called lacing course.  Masonry.

   1. a course of brick in a wall of rubble.

   2. a bond course in a rowlock arch.

8. Nautical. any light line for fastening a sail, awning, or other cloth.

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lacing British  

/ ˈleɪsɪŋ /

noun

1. a course of bricks, stone, etc, for strengthening a rubble or flint wall

2. another word for lace lace

3. informal a severe beating (esp in the phrase give someone a lacing )

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Etymology

Origin of lacing

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at lace, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

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

To Brady, it’s such an extreme level of body control that it reminds him more of the Olympians lacing it up in Milan than the football players at the Super Bowl.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 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

Lux took two balls before lacing a 95-mph fastball from Dylan Cease into center field to score Edman for a 2-2 tie.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2024

“I’ll get these back to you, Arty,” I said, just as I finished lacing them up.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Related Words

• beating
• blow
• breakdown
• collapse
• debacle
• destruction
• drubbing
• embarrassment
• failure
• killing
• loss
• massacre
• rout
• setback
• thrashing
• triumph