lace
gb/lˈeɪs/ us/lˈeɪs/
A2
English
~ 7700
cipőfűző, csipke, beköt, befűz, belekever, megspékel, teletűzdel, tele van, átsző, telelyuggat, bevág, szitává lő, egy kevés, löttyintésnyi
NOUN
A2
1
cipőfűző
A2
Usage pattern:
the laces on [shoes/clothing]
Your laces are undone; do you want me to tie them?
Kioldódott a cipőfűződ; bekössem?
She pulled the laces tight on her hiking boots.
Szorosra húzta a túrabakancsai fűzőit.
The skater stopped to replace a broken lace before the competition.
These new trainers come with bright red laces.
He tripped on a loose lace and fell on the pavement.
Learner examples
Tie your laces before you run.
Kösd be a cipőfűződet, mielőtt futni indulsz.
My boot lace is too short.
Túl rövid a bakancsfűzőm.
The child cannot do his laces yet.
Her black shoes have white laces.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say 'string' instead of 'lace' for shoes. Also, in most situations English speakers say 'tie your laces' (plural), not 'tie your lace'.
Meaning
thin cord for tying shoes
Collocations
tie your laces
|loose laces
|boot laces
|broken lace
|untied laces
|lace holes
Synonyms
shoelace (Refers specifically to the lace on a shoe, while lace can also be used for other clothing items.)
Antonyms
zipper (A different way to fasten shoes or clothing that does not use cords or tying.)
Themes
clothing
|daily life
|objects
|daily_life
Definition
A thin string that you use to close or tighten shoes or clothes.
A thin cord or string used to tighten, fasten, or hold together shoes, boots, or items of clothing.
B1
2
csipke
B1
Usage pattern:
a lace [item of clothing]
She wore a simple black dress with a white lace collar.
Egyszerű fekete ruhát viselt fehér csipkegallérral.
The bride chose a veil edged with handmade lace.
A menyasszony kézzel készített csipkével szegélyezett fátylat választott.
Old lace curtains hung in the windows of the cottage.
This shop sells fine French lace for wedding gowns.
The sleeves are made of sheer lace, so you will need a slip underneath.
Learner examples
Her wedding dress has lace on the arms.
A menyasszonyi ruhájának az ujjain csipke van.
My grandmother makes lace by hand.
A nagymamám kézzel készít csipkét.
There are lace curtains in the living room.
I like shirts with a little lace at the neck.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse this meaning with the cord for shoes. When talking about clothes with lace fabric, say 'a lace dress' or 'a dress with lace', not 'a dress with laces' (which would suggest many cords).
Meaning
delicate openwork decorative fabric
Collocations
lace dress
|lace curtains
|lace trim
|white lace
|delicate lace
|lace veil
Synonyms
lacework (Focuses on the detailed pattern of the fabric and is often used to describe the design rather than the material itself.)
Antonyms
plain fabric (Fabric without decorative holes or patterns, the opposite of lace's detailed openwork style.)
Themes
clothing
|home
|craft
|arts_entertainment
|daily_life
Definition
A thin, pretty cloth with many small holes and patterns, used to make or decorate clothes and curtains.
A delicate, patterned fabric with open holes, often made by looping or twisting threads, used mainly to decorate clothing, accessories, and household textiles.
VERB
A2
3
Usage pattern:
to lace up [shoes/clothing]
He sat on the bench to lace up his running shoes before the race.
Leült a padra, hogy a verseny előtt bekösse a futócipőjét.
The maid helped her lace the back of the dress.
A szobalány segített neki befűzni a ruha hátát.
Make sure you lace your boots properly so they support your ankles.
She quickly laced up her skates and stepped onto the ice.
These hiking boots lace all the way above the ankle for extra support.
Learner examples
Please lace up your shoes now.
Kérlek, most kösd be a cipődet.
She laced her boots before going outside.
Mielőtt kiment, bekötötte a bakancsát.
I cannot lace these new shoes; the holes are too small.
He laced up his skates and went to the ice.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say 'close your shoes' instead of 'lace up your shoes'. Also, for this action, English usually uses 'lace up' rather than just 'lace' in everyday speech.
Meaning
fasten or tighten with laces
Collocations
lace up your shoes
|tightly laced boots
|lace her corset
|lace the dress
|boots laced to the top
Synonyms
fasten (More general; can refer to closing in many ways, not only by using laces.)
Antonyms
unlace (Means to loosen or remove the laces so the item becomes open or less tight.)
Themes
clothing
|daily life
|daily_life
Definition
To close or tighten shoes or clothes by pulling the laces through the holes and tying them.
To fasten, tighten, or secure shoes, boots, or clothing by threading and pulling laces through holes or eyelets.
VERB
B2
4
Usage pattern:
to lace [drink/food] with [substance]
Someone had laced his drink with a powerful sedative.
Valaki erős nyugtatót kevert az italába.
She served coffee lightly laced with whiskey after dinner.
Vacsora után egy kis whiskyvel megbolondított kávét szolgált fel.
The punch was so heavily laced with rum that you could smell it from across the room.
Investigators discovered the candy had been laced with an illegal drug.
He claimed he did not know the pills were laced with fentanyl.
Learner examples
The punch was laced with too much vodka.
Túl sok vodkát kevertek a bóléba.
The police found that the wine was laced with poison.
A rendőrség megállapította, hogy mérget kevertek a borba.
My coffee was laced with a little brandy.
The candy was laced with drugs, so it was very dangerous.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with simply 'mix'. 'Lace' usually suggests a stronger or hidden addition, often alcohol, drugs, or something dangerous, not just any normal ingredient.
Meaning
add alcohol or other substance
Collocations
lace a drink
|coffee laced with brandy
|heavily laced with alcohol
|laced with drugs
|secretly laced
Synonyms
spike (Very close in meaning, but often sounds more informal and strongly suggests doing it secretly or as a trick.)
Antonyms
dilute (Means to make a drink weaker, often by adding water, which is the opposite of strengthening it by lacing it with something.)
Themes
food
|crime
|health
|food_drink
|law
Definition
To put alcohol, a drug, or another substance into a drink or food, often secretly or in a small amount.
To add a substance, especially alcohol, a drug, or poison, to a drink or food, often in a secret or unexpected way or in a small amount.
VERB
B2
5
Usage pattern:
to be laced with [feature/quality]
Her speech was laced with sarcasm and thinly veiled insults.
Beszédét szarkazmus és alig leplezett sértések szőtték át.
The report is laced with errors and misleading statistics.
A jelentés tele van hibákkal és félrevezető statisztikákkal.
His novels are laced with dark humor and social criticism.
Their conversation was laced with references only true fans would understand.
The movie is laced with violent scenes that some viewers may find disturbing.
Learner examples
Her email was laced with angry words.
Az e-mailje tele volt dühös szavakkal.
The story is laced with funny jokes.
A történet tele van vicces poénokkal.
Their talk was laced with many lies.
The article is laced with strong political ideas.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think 'laced with' is only for drinks and alcohol. In modern English it is very common to say texts, speeches, or media are 'laced with' sarcasm, humor, violence, etc.
Meaning
fill something with a quality
Collocations
laced with sarcasm
|laced with humor
|laced with irony
|laced with anger
|laced with profanity
Synonyms
infuse (Suggests filling something with a quality or feeling, often more formal and not as closely tied to hidden or sharp elements like sarcasm or poison.)
Antonyms
strip (Means to remove elements from something, the opposite of filling it with extra qualities or details.)
Themes
communication
|emotions
|culture
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To have a lot of something, for example a feeling or style, mixed through another thing.
To include or spread a substance, element, or quality throughout something else so that it is clearly present in many parts.
VERB
C1
INFORMAL
6
Usage pattern:
to lace [someone/something] with [bullets/blows]
The gang laced the side of the building with bullets before driving off.
A banda tagjai golyókkal lyuggatták tele az épület oldalát, mielőtt elhajtottak.
He laced the ball into the top corner of the net.
Bevágta a labdát a kapu felső sarkába.
The fighter laced his opponent with a quick series of jabs.
The car was laced with gunfire as it sped away.
They stood in shock, staring at the fence laced with bullet holes.
Learner examples
The wall was laced with bullets after the attack.
A támadás után a fal tele volt golyónyomokkal.
He laced the ball into the goal.
Bevágta a labdát a kapuba.
The car was laced with holes from the gun.
The boxer laced his opponent with many fast punches.
Common mistake:
This sense is much less common and is often understood from context. Learners may wrongly think it means 'decorate with lace'; here it instead means to hit or shoot many times.
Meaning
hit or shoot repeatedly
Collocations
laced with bullets
|lace into the ball
|laced him with punches
|laced the target
Synonyms
pepper (Also means to cover with many small hits, especially bullets or questions; 'lace' can sound a bit stronger or more vivid in some contexts.)
Antonyms
spare (To not hit or attack someone or something, which contrasts with attacking it repeatedly.)
Themes
violence
|sports
|law
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To hit something many times with strong force, often with bullets or hard hits.
To hit something hard or repeatedly, especially with bullets, punches, or another forceful impact, often so that it becomes marked all over.
NOUN
C2
7
egy kevés
A1
Usage pattern:
a lace of [type of alcohol] in [drink]
He ordered strong coffee with a lace of brandy.
Erős kávét rendelt egy kevés brandyvel.
The dessert came with a lace of rum in the sauce.
A desszerthez adott szószban egy kevés rum volt.
She likes her hot chocolate with a lace of whiskey on cold nights.
Learner examples
The drink had a lace of rum in it.
Volt egy kevés rum az italban.
He put a lace of brandy in the coffee.
Egy kevés brandyt tett a kávéba.
My aunt makes cake with a lace of wine in the cream.
Common mistake:
This use of 'lace' as a noun for a small amount of alcohol is fairly rare and often replaced by words like 'dash' or 'splash' in modern English.
Meaning
small added amount of alcohol
Collocations
a lace of brandy
|a lace of whiskey
|with a lace of rum
Synonyms
dash (A small quick amount of liquid added to a drink; not limited to alcohol but often used in a similar way.)
Antonyms
shot (A larger, measured serving of alcohol, usually much more than a small lace.)
Themes
food
|drinks
|food_drink
|daily_life
Definition
A little bit of alcohol put into a drink, usually to change the taste or make it stronger.
A small quantity of alcohol added to another drink, especially to give it extra flavor or strength.
Grammar
Dictionary form
lace
IPA
GB/lˈeɪs/
US/lˈeɪs/
Syllables & stress
lace (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (lace)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: lace
- Plural: lace, laces
Verb
- Base: lace
- 3rd Person Singular: laces
- Present Participle: lacing
- Past: laced
Word family
Forms
laces
noun
lacing
verb
laced
verb
Core family
lacy
adjective
Related words
shoelace
noun
lacework
noun
Negative and opposite forms
laceless
adjective
Advanced or less common
lacemaker
noun
Expressions
be laced with
1/bˈi lˈeɪst wˈɪθ/
fixed phrase
contain a lot of something
To have a clear amount of something, often alcohol, drugs, or a strong feeling or style, mixed through it.
Examples
- The sauce is heavily laced with garlic, so you will smell it all night.
- His comments were laced with sarcasm and annoyance.
- The drink was secretly laced with a powerful drug.
lace into
1/lˈeɪs ˈɪntu/
phrasal verb
informal
attack or criticize strongly
To attack someone or something very strongly, either with words or with physical hits.
Examples
- The coach really laced into the team after their poor performance.
- Online commenters laced into the company for its new pricing policy.
- He laced into his opponent with a series of hard punches.
lace someone's drink
1/lˈeɪs sˈʌmwˌʌnz dɹˈɪŋk/
fixed phrase
secretly add something to a drink
To secretly put alcohol, drugs, or another substance into another person's drink.
Examples
- She suspected that someone had laced her drink at the party.
- The barman was arrested for allegedly lacing customers' drinks with sedatives.
- Never leave your glass unattended; someone could lace your drink.
lace something together
1/lˈeɪs sˈʌmθɪŋ təɡˈɛðɚ/
phrasal verb
tie or connect things together
To join things by passing laces or strings through them and pulling them tight.
Examples
- They laced the panels together with strong cord to make a temporary shelter.
- The leather pieces are laced together along the edges.
- She laced the sections together to form one long strip.
lace something with something
1/lˈeɪs sˈʌmθɪŋ wˈɪθ sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
add and mix in another element
To put a substance or quality into something so that it is mixed through it.
Examples
- She laced the cake with a little orange liqueur.
- The speech was laced with jokes to keep the audience interested.
- They discovered the pills had been laced with a dangerous chemical.
lace up
1/lˈeɪs ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
fasten shoes or clothes with laces
To close or tighten shoes or clothes by pulling and tying the laces.
Examples
- Make sure you lace up your boots before we start hiking.
- He quickly laced up and ran out the door when he heard the alarm.
- She sat on the bench to lace up her skates.