lace

noun

/leɪs/

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[uncountable] a very thin material made from threads of cotton, silk, etc. that are made into a pattern with holes
- a lace handkerchief
- a tablecloth edged with lace
- lace curtains
see also lacy
Extra Examples
- a machine for knitting lace
- a silk dress trimmed with lace
Topics Clothes and Fashionb2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- delicate
- fine
verb + lace
- make
phrases
- trimmed with lace
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(also shoelace, North American English also shoestring)
[countable] a long thin piece of material like string that goes through the holes on a shoe and is used to fasten it
- Your laces are undone.
Extra Examples
- to tie/untie your laces
- He's still a bit young to tie his own laces.

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French laz, las (noun), lacier (verb), based on Latin laqueus ‘noose’ (also an early sense in English). Compare with lasso.

lace

verb

/leɪs/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they lace	/leɪs/ /leɪs/
he / she / it laces	/ˈleɪsɪz/ /ˈleɪsɪz/
past simple laced	/leɪst/ /leɪst/
past participle laced	/leɪst/ /leɪst/
-ing form lacing	/ˈleɪsɪŋ/ /ˈleɪsɪŋ/

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[intransitive, transitive] to be fastened with laces; to fasten something with laces
- lace (up) She was wearing a dress that laced up at the side.
- lace something (up) He was sitting on the bed lacing up his shoes.
- I laced my walking boots up tightly.
see also lace-up
[transitive] lace something to put a lace through the holes in a shoe, a boot, etc. related noun lace-up
[transitive] lace something (with something) to add a small amount of alcohol, a drug, poison, etc. to a drink synonym spike
- He had laced her milk with rum.
- The chocolates had been laced with arsenic.
[transitive] lace something (with something) to add a particular quality to a book, speech, etc.
- Her conversation was laced with witty asides.
- Irene's voice was heavily laced with irony.
[transitive] lace something to twist something together with another thing
- They sat with their fingers laced.

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French laz, las (noun), lacier (verb), based on Latin laqueus ‘noose’ (also an early sense in English). Compare with lasso.