Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to lace up

to lace up

15 3.0
Tie the strings on shoes or boots to make them tight
  • phrasal verb
: atar
  • Marguerite laced up a pair of hiking boots she hadn't worn in years.
  • lace up shoes
  • lace up sneakers
  • lace up boots

And just so I can drop, so I can just, you know, lace up a dope priest collar just to have some little bit of coverage, man.

Examples

  • Imogen helped herself to a biscuit from the tin on the dresser, then sat down to lace up her boots.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Before I went to bed that night, I laced up my sneakers so I could show them off at school the next day.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • You gotta lace 'em up that way.

    He Got Game (1998)

  • Running is the easiest because you just lace up your shoes and go out the door.

    Blog text (25)

  • Mother, will you help me lace up my slippers?

    Far from Heaven (2002)

  • I put the shoe on and laced it up.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Jimmy's ready to play, so Robert finishes lacing them up and joins him on the court.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Wills watches as Charlotte laces up her figure skates.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • By the time Bobbi returns, I've laced up my Nikes, packed my bag, and I'm taking down my hair.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Before going for a jog, she always laces up her running shoes tightly.

Synonyms

to tie
vsto lace up
702 1.0

To fasten things together by making a knot with string or rope

is a specific method using threading through eyelets rather than general knotting
to fasten
vsto lace up
73 1.6

Hold something in place so it cannot move

is a specialised way of securing that uses threaded cords through holes
to tie up
vsto lace up
57 2.2

Fasten something with rope so it cannot move

is fastening by threading and tightening through eyelets, not restraining movement
to tie someone's shoes
vsto lace up
35 1.0

To fasten someone's shoe laces so they do not come loose

is fastening by threading cords through eyelets rather than only knotting
to lace
vsto lace up
23 1.0

To thread a cord through holes to fasten shoes

is fastening by threading cords through eyelets and tightening them

Antonyms

to loosen
185 1.0

Make something less tight so it can move or open

to unlace
2 3.8

To untie strings that close shoes or clothing

How Tight

to cinch
13 5.5
to tighten
157 1.5
to lace up
15 3.0
to tie
702 1.0
to slip on
25 1.9

Surface Forms

lace up infinitive
laced up past
laced up past participle
lacing up present participle
laces up third person singular

Morphology

lace + up

The meaning 'to fasten by threading laces and tightening' is directly derivable from 'lace' (to thread/tie shoelaces) combined with the particle 'up', which here signals securing or completion. This verb + particle composition is a common, predictable English pattern and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

The phrasal verb lace up comes from the simple act of threading a lace through the holes of a shoe and pulling it up tight. That's why it means 'to fasten or secure shoes or clothing'.