a rate of movement, especially in stepping, walking, etc..
To raise your heart rate, walk at a brisk pace of five miles an hour.
a rate of activity, progress, growth, performance, etc.; tempo.
The pace of the building's construction had slowed almost to a halt.
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).
a single step.
She took three paces in the direction of the door.
the distance covered in a step.
Stand six paces inside the gates.
a manner of stepping; gait.
a gait of a horse or other animal in which the feet on the same side are lifted and put down together.
any of the gaits of a horse.
a raised step or platform.
to set the rate of movement for, as in racing.
to traverse or go over with steps.
He paced the floor nervously.
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.
to train to a certain pace; exercise in pacing.
to pace a horse.
(of a horse) to run (a distance) at a pace.
Hanover II paced a mile.
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.
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.
a single step in walking
the distance covered by a step
a measure of length equal to the average length of a stride, approximately 3 feet See also Roman pace geometric pace military pace
speed of movement, esp of walking or running
rate or style of proceeding at some activity
to live at a fast pace
manner or action of stepping, walking, etc; gait
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)
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
architect a step or small raised platform
to proceed at the same speed as
to test the ability of someone
to determine the rate at which a group runs or walks or proceeds at some other activity
to keep up with the speed or rate of others
(tr) to set or determine the pace for, as in a race
to walk with regular slow or fast paces, as in boredom, agitation, etc
to pace the room
to measure by paces
to pace out the distance
(intr) to walk with slow regular strides
to pace along the street
(intr) (of a horse) to move at the pace (the specially developed gait)
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.
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
First recorded in 1860–65; from Latin pāce “in peace, by favor” (ablative singular of pāx “favor, pardon, grace, peace ”
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The damage remains far off the pace of 2023, Canada's worst wildfire season on record, when nearly 18 million hectares burned in the country.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
"They're travelling at such pace that actually the riders' hair is blown back in quite an expressive cartoonish way, to show how fast they're moving".
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
He rises and falls at the same pace as his companion in this nightmare, laying the groundwork on which Adjani can create something so enormous.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
The stock jumped more than 7% in early trading, and is on pace for the biggest one-day gain in more than a year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
“By all rights, it is mine to do with as I please!” said the ghost of Anthony, still keeping pace.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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
Losing the PACE, the analytics center, would also be a mistake, said Michael Horowitz, head of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 20, 2023
In a poll commissioned last year by PACE, 46% of voters selected “don’t know” when asked about Thurmond’s performance.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2022
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
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
HEFEI, China—In a giant testing lab filled with huge spikes, Volkswagen VOW3 -1.37%decrease; red down pointing triangle is putting one of the new cars it has designed especially for China through its paces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
After you take a few more paces down the hill, the whole shebang comes into view.
From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026
But to really put it through its paces, it requires testing in space-like conditions on parabolic flights.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
At the women’s feet, a mini Bernedoodle, Zipper, paces nervously, barking at arriving guests.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026
That wagon stopped not ten paces away from me to make a milk delivery, so I decided to visit with the horses.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Once Wrobleski’s job was done, he paced in the dugout, interrupted once in a while by a hug or handshakes from a teammate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 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
Ironically it’s the Spurs—with their young lineup paced by the 22-year-old “alien” Wembanyama—installed as the “fun” option to the Same Old Thunder.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
The Nasdaq composite paced Thursday’s decline among major U.S. benchmarks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
He paced by the river, rubbing his hands together, then his tattooed face, then running his hands through his hair and beard.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
The British Columbia Hotel Association says that while final booking figures are yet to be confirmed, June and July were "pacing well behind previous years", despite Vancouver hosting seven of the games in Canada.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
How did you approach pacing your performance in the confines of a single day at work?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
She kept pacing nervously by the spot where her husband's voice was heard.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
Mr. Netravalkar is an engaging central figure and the pacing of the film is fairly brisk even though this viewer found the production values mixed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Pa stood up and started pacing around, rubbing the back of his neck the way he always did when he was pondering something important.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
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.
