pace1
noun /peɪs/
/peɪs/
Idioms - [singular, uncountable] the speed at which somebody/something walks, runs or moves
- at a… pace to set off at a steady/gentle/leisurely pace
- Congestion frequently reduces traffic to walking pace.
- The ball gathered pace as it rolled down the hill.
- The runners have noticeably quickened their pace.
- Aisha slowed her pace to a walk.
Extra ExamplesTopics Sports: other sportsb2- He's a skilful player with a good turn of pace (= he can move quickly).
- I set off at a snail's pace to conserve my energy for later in the race.
- She kept up a pace of ten miles an hour.
- They set off at a blistering pace.
- Thinking that she was being followed, she quickened her pace.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- blistering
- breakneck
- breathtaking
- …
- gather
- increase
- quicken
- …
- increase
- slow
- at a… pace
- pace of
- at somebody’s own pace
- at a snail’s pace
- a change of pace
- …
- [singular, uncountable] the speed at which something happens
- pace of something It is difficult to keep up with the rapid pace of change.
- I prefer the relaxed pace of life in the country.
- We encourage all students to work at their own pace (= as fast or as slow as they can).
- at a… pace The American economy has grown at a record pace.
- Technology is changing at a blistering pace.
- The plot moves along at a fast pace.
- These updates are going to continue at a rapid pace.
- Rumours of corruption and scandal gathered pace (= increased in number).
Extra Examples- The pace of life is much gentler on the island.
- I try to get away at weekends for a change of pace.
- The project had a slow start, but is now gathering pace.
- the slow pace of economic reform
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- blistering
- breakneck
- breathtaking
- …
- gather
- increase
- quicken
- …
- increase
- slow
- at a… pace
- pace of
- at somebody’s own pace
- at a snail’s pace
- a change of pace
- …
- [countable] an act of stepping once when walking or running; the distance travelled when doing this synonym step
- She took two paces forward.
- To be a really good runner he needs to lengthen his pace a little.
- Competitors must stand at a distance of 20 paces from each other.
Extra ExamplesTopics Maths and measurementc1- I stopped a few paces from the edge of the cliff.
- Jean followed a few paces behind.
- You can get a device that counts how many paces you take in an average day.
- Two bodyguards remained a couple of paces behind the president throughout the walkabout.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + pace- take
- walk
- step back
- …
- pace behind
- pace from
- [uncountable] the fact of something happening, changing, etc. quickly
- He gave up his job in advertising because he couldn't stand the pace.
- The novel lacks pace (= it develops too slowly).
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- blistering
- breakneck
- breathtaking
- …
- gather
- increase
- quicken
- …
- increase
- slow
- at a… pace
- pace of
- at somebody’s own pace
- at a snail’s pace
- a change of pace
- …
see also pacy
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French pas, from Latin passus ‘stretch (of the leg)’, from pandere ‘to stretch’.
Idioms
at a snail’s pace
- very slowly
- Traffic had slowed to a snail’s pace.
force the pace (especially British English)
- to run very fast in a race in order to make the other people taking part run faster
- to make somebody do something faster than they want to
- The demonstrations have succeeded in forcing the pace of change.
go through your paces | show your paces
- to perform a particular activity in order to show other people what you are capable of doing
- We watched the horses going through their paces.
- The British team showed its paces during a training session in the hotel pool.
keep pace (with somebody/something)
- to move, increase, change, etc. at the same speed as somebody/something
- She found it hard to keep pace with him as he strode off.
- The younger children struggled to keep pace with the older ones.
- Until now, wage increases have always kept pace with inflation.
- The company is struggling to keep pace with changes in the market.
off the pace
- (in sport) behind the leader or the leading group in a race or a competition
- Last year's champion is still three shots off the pace (= in golf).
put somebody/something through their/its paces
- to give somebody/something a number of tasks to perform in order to see what they are capable of doing
- Youngsters will be put through their paces by qualified instructors.
- We sent our reporter to put Ford’s newest model through its paces.
set the pace
- to do something at a particular speed or to a particular standard so that other people are then forced to copy it if they want to be successful
- The company is no longer setting the pace in the home computer market.
- (in a race) to run faster than the other people taking part, at a speed that they then try to copy
- Willis set the pace for the first mile.