shoelace

noun

shoe·​lace ˈshü-ˌlās How to pronounce shoelace (audio)
: a lace or string for fastening a shoe

Examples of shoelace in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Earlier this month, longtime NBA journalist Zach Lowe released an obscure observation on X, formerly Twitter, about the Phoenix Suns: Bradley Beal tied his shoelaces midgame an unusual amount. — Fred Katz, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025 Inside each figure – in the chest, near the heart – Lowenstein placed a plastic bag containing a memento of the person who died: including a shoelace, a sock, an earring and photos. — Faith Karimi, CNN, 23 Feb. 2025 Sabalenka couldn’t get the half-volley off her shoelaces and over the net. — Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025 The shoelaces varied in length and were brown or black. — Judy Holmes, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shoelace

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1647, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shoelace was circa 1647

Rhymes for shoelace

See All Rhymes for shoelace

Browse Nearby Words

shoelace
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shoelace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shoelace. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

shoelace

noun
shoe·​lace -ˌlās How to pronounce shoelace (audio)
: a lace or string for fastening a shoe

More from Merriam-Webster on shoelace

Nglish: Translation of shoelace for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All