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shoelace

American  
[shoo-leys] / ˈʃuˌleɪs /

noun

  1. a string or lace for fastening a shoe.

shoelace British  
/ ˈʃuːˌleɪs /

noun

  1. a cord or lace for fastening shoes

"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

Etymology

Origin of shoelace

First recorded in 1640–50; shoe + lace

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.

Pulling a shoelace through a narrow hole becomes uneven if the lace tangles, and scientists assumed DNA behaved in the same way.

From Science Daily • Feb. 9, 2026

Accessories—anything from shoelace charms to glitter freckles to decor for your decor—give consumers ways to update their look and express themselves at a fraction of the cost.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

He gets lost so often that she attaches a tag to his shoelace with her phone number.

From New York Times • Nov. 14, 2023

At one point, the senior mentor dropped to his knees to tie Paul's undone shoelace.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2023

Another student tied a shoelace around her ankle as a kind of tourniquet.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden

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.