lap Meaning & Definition
What Does Lap Mean?
As a noun, lap means a loose overlapping or hanging panel or flap especially of a garment. It is also used to mean the skirt of a coat or dress. As a verb, it means to fold over or around something. As a verb, it means to take in (food or drink) with the tongue.
Lap at a Glance
| Part of speech | noun, verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈlap/ |
| Syllables | 1 |
| Synonyms | swish, circuit and circle |
| Antonyms | pour, roll and stream |
| Plural | laps |
| Verb forms | laps, lapping, lapped |
Lap Definition (Noun)
- a loose overlapping or hanging panel or flap especially of a garment
- the skirt of a coat or dress
- the clothing that lies on the knees, thighs, and lower part of the trunk when one sits
- the front part of the lower trunk and thighs of a seated person
- responsible custody : control
… going to drop the whole thing in your lap.
Lap as a Verb
- to fold over or around something : wind
- to envelop entirely : swathe
- to fold over especially into layers
- to hold protectively in or as if in the lap : cuddle
- to place over and cover a part of : overlap
lap shingles on a roof
- to join (things, such as two boards) by a lap joint
- to dress, smooth, or polish (something, such as a metal surface) to a high degree of refinement or accuracy
- to shape or fit by working two surfaces together with or without abrasives until a very close fit is produced
- to overtake and thereby lead or increase the lead over (another contestant) by a full circuit of a racecourse
- to complete the circuit of (a racecourse)
- fold, wind
- to project beyond or spread over something
- to lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another : overlap
- to traverse a course
Noun
- the amount by which one object overlaps or projects beyond another
- the part of an object that overlaps another
- a smoothing and polishing tool usually consisting of a piece of wood, leather, felt, or soft metal in a special shape used with or without an embedded abrasive
- a doubling or layering of a flexible substance (such as fibers or paper)
- the act or an instance of traversing a course (such as a racing track or swimming pool)
- the distance covered
- one segment of a larger unit (such as a journey)
- one complete turn (as of a rope around a drum)
Verb
- to take in (food or drink) with the tongue
Their cat was lapping milk from a dish. / The dog lapped at the water in the puddle.
- to take in or absorb (something) eagerly or quickly
- to make a gentle, intermittent splashing sound
It was quiet except for the ripples of water lapping at the side of the boat.
- to move in little waves : wash
… banging the table so hard that a couple of lattes lapped over the edge of their cups …
- to flow or splash against (something) in little waves
… the firm ribbon of beach lapped by waves.
Noun
- an act or instance of lapping
- the amount that can be carried to the mouth by one lick or scoop of the tongue
- a thin or weak beverage or food
- a gentle splashing sound
Synonyms of Lap
Antonyms of Lap
Lap in a Sentence
The boy was sitting on his mother's lap.
to lap a piece of cloth
to lap a bandage around a finger
lapped in luxury
One laps roof tiles so that water can run off.
The cloth laps back.
The boats lap; the edges lap.
the lap of a board
The second boat got a lap of half its length on the leader.
to run twenty laps
to drive the fastest lap in qualifying
to win by three laps
to swim two laps
Don’t lap your soup like that! You look like a dog.
swim two laps
Don't lap your soup like that, you look like a dog.
… going to drop the whole thing in your lap.
lap shingles on a roof
Their cat was lapping milk from a dish.
The dog lapped at the water in the puddle.
It was quiet except for the ripples of water lapping at the side of the boat.
… banging the table so hard that a couple of lattes lapped over the edge of their cups …
… the firm ribbon of beach lapped by waves.
we were on the last lap of the journey, eagerly heading for home
the waves gently lapped the sandy shore
the creek lapped along through the ravine before collecting in the pond
a stiff breeze that was causing the lake waters to lap against the hull with some force
the armadillo's plates lap tightly so as to form a protective shield
this recording of the symphony is sure to lap listeners in stereophonic bliss
a show-off who laps up attention the way a kitten does milk
Their cat was lapping milk from a dish. / The dog lapped at the water in the puddle.
Word Forms & Grammar
lap·ful noun
lap
lapful
lapfuls
laps
lapped
lap·ping
lapping
lapper
lappers
lap (up)
lap up
lap (plural laps)
lap (third-person singular simple present laps, present participle lapping, simple past and past participle lapped)
lap (third-person singular simple present laps, present participle lapping, simple past and past participle lapped or (archaic) lapt)
lap (countable and uncountable, plural laps)
lap (not comparable)
Words That Rhyme With Lap
Origin of Lap
Origin 1: Middle English lappe, from Old English læppa; akin to Old High German lappa flap
Origin 2: Middle English, from Old English lapian; akin to Old High German laffan to lick, Latin lambere, Greek laphyssein to devour
Origin 3: From Middle English lappe, from Old English læppa (“skirt or flap of a garment”), from Proto-West Germanic *lappō, from Proto-Germanic *lappô (“cloth; rag”), of uncertain origin, possibly Proto-Indo-European *leb- (“to hang loosely”).[1][2] Cognate with Dutch lap (“cloth; rag”), German Lappen (“cloth; lobe; flap”), Icelandic leppur (“rag; patch”).
Origin 4: From Middle English lappen (“to fold, wrap”) from earlier wlappen (“to fold, wrap”), from Old English *wlappan, *wlæppan, *wlappian (“to wrap”), from Proto-West Germanic *wlappan and/or *wlappōn, from possible Proto-Germanic *wlapp-, *wrapp- (“to wrap, fold, roll up, turn”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *werb-, *werbʰ- (“to bend, turn”) if the -r- variant in Germanic is older. See warp.
Origin 5: Cognate with Middle Dutch lappen (“to wrap up, embrace”), dialectal Danish vravle (“to wind”), Old Italian goluppare (“to wrap, fold up”) (from Germanic). Doublet of wrap. Also related to envelop, develop via Old French.
Origin 6: The sense of “to get a lap ahead (of someone) on a track” is from 1847, on the notion of “overlapping”. The noun meaning “a turn around a track” (1861) is from this sense.
First Known Use
before 12th century
14th centuryt
1800
14th century
How to Pronounce Lap
Lap is pronounced /ˈlap/ and has 1 syllable.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lap
Is lap a noun or a verb?
Lap is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb.
What is another word for lap?
You can replace lap with words such as swish, circuit and circle. See the full list of lap synonyms and antonyms.
What is the plural of lap?
The plural of lap is laps.
What is the past tense of lap?
The past tense of lap is lapped. The present participle is lapping.