laced; lacing
1
: to draw together the edges of by or as if by a lace passed through eyelets
laces her fingers behind her head
2
: to draw or pass (something, such as a lace) through something (such as eyelets)
3
: to confine or compress by tightening laces of a garment
4
a
: to adorn with or as if with lace
the surrounding countryside was laced with villages and hamlets—
L. C. Heinemann
L. C. Heinemann
b
: to mark with streaks of color
6
a
: to add a dash of liquor to
b
: to add something to impart pungency, savor, or zest to
a sauce laced with garlic
conversation laced with sarcasm
c
: to adulterate with a substance
laced a guard's coffee with a sedative
1
: to admit of being tied or fastened with a lace
2
: to make a verbal attack
—usually used with into
his boss laced into him for being late
lacer
noun
1
: a cord or string used for drawing together two edges (as of a garment or a shoe)
2
: an ornamental braid for trimming coats or uniforms
3
: an openwork usually figured fabric made of thread or yarn and used for trimmings, household coverings, and entire garments
Examples of lace in a Sentence
Verb
a dress that laces in the back
the gardener laced the shoots of ivy around the trellis to direct their growth
Noun
I need new laces for these shoes.
She wore lace on her wedding gown.
Recent Examples on the Web
Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 23 Apr. 2025
Nearly 4,600 Bay Staters laced up, racing through the eight cities and towns that make up the course.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 22 Apr. 2025
Jay Stahl, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025
A lot of lace, and a lot of gloriously negative space.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lace
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show current usage.
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Verb
Jones and more than 900 members of his Peoples Temple died in a murder-suicide by drinking Flavor Aid (not, as has become the saying, Kool-Aid) laced with cyanide at Jonestown in 1978.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 23 Apr. 2025
Nearly 4,600 Bay Staters laced up, racing through the eight cities and towns that make up the course.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 22 Apr. 2025
Noun
First Lady Melania Trump, whose fashion is often thought to reflect her mood, wore a black lace veil to the funeral of Pope Francis.
—Jay Stahl, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025
A lot of lace, and a lot of gloriously negative space.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lace
Cite this Entry
“Lace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lace. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lace
1 of 2 verb
laced; lacing
1
: to fasten or join with or as if with a lace
laced her shoes
2
: to adorn with or as if with lace
3
: intertwine, thread
lace the ribbon through the holes
Etymology
Noun
Middle English las, lace "a string used to draw together two edges of material," from early French laz (same meaning), from Latin laqueus "noose, snare" — related to lash entry 3, lasso entry 1
Word Origin
When the ancient Romans wanted to trap a small animal, such as a rabbit, they used a loop of light rope laid on the ground in its path. A triggering device was used to tighten the loop around the animal. They called such a loop or noose laqueus, which became laz in early French. The English borrowed it as las in the 14th century. They used it to refer to a cord that holds something together by weaving, as a shoelace. Finally, it came to mean the delicate fabric made by weaving and knotting thin strands of material.
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