English▸ noun
1 [mass noun] a fine open fabric of cotton or silk, made by looping, twisting, or knitting thread in patterns and used especially for trimming garments:
a dress trimmed in white lace
[as modifier] a lace collar
[count noun] fine needlepoint laces.
▪ braid used for trimming, especially on military dress uniforms:
his generals were covered with gold lace.
2 (laces) a cord or leather strip passed through eyelets or hooks on opposite sides of a shoe or garment and then pulled tight and fastened:
brown shoes with laces.
▸ verb [with object]
1 fasten or tighten (a shoe or garment) by tying the laces:
he put the shoes on and laced them up.
▪ enclose or confine tightly in a garment:
Rosina laced her up tight to show off her neat waist
they laced her into a sky-blue dress, which was so tight she could hardly breathe.
▪ [no object] (of a garment or shoe) be fastened by means of laces:
the shoes laced at the front.
2 [with object and adverbial] entwine (things, especially fingers) together:
she laced her fingers together.
▪ (lace something through) pass a lace or cord through (a hole):
he laced the twine through the eyelets and pulled it tight.
3 (be laced with) add an ingredient, especially alcohol, to (a drink or dish) to enhance its flavour or strength:
he gave us coffee laced with brandy
he was left seriously ill after eating a meal allegedly laced with poison.
▪ give (something) a large amount or degree of a feature or quality:
the script is laced with expletives
his voice was laced with derision.
– ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French laz, las (noun), lacier (verb), based on Latin laqueus ‘noose’ (also an early sense in English). Compare with lasso.