soap

play

noun \ˈsōp\

Definition of soap

1a : a cleansing and emulsifying agent made usually by action of alkali on fat or fatty acids and consisting essentially of sodium or potassium salts of such acidsb : a salt of a fatty acid and a metal
2 : soap opera

See soap defined for English-language learners

See soap defined for kids

Examples of soap in a Sentence

Make sure you use soap and water to wash your hands.
The store sells many different brands of liquid soaps.
Her first acting job was on a soap.

Recent Examples of soap from the Web

And so a ’Nam vet will take a storm like this and complain about not having soap.

— hunter woodall, kansascity, "In spite of storm, small crowd takes to Parkville for July 4 parade", 4 July 2017
If all goes as planned, Sadara will crank out multiple tons of the glycol ethers, isocyanates and other chemicals used in everything from golf balls and gum to sofas and soaps.

— javier blas, Bloomberg.com, "From Oil Gushers to Golf Balls: Saudi Aramco Bets on Chemicals", 2 July 2017
Ugandans prize the insects for their honey, wax (used in soap and cosmetics), propolis (a resin used to close holes in their hives) and even their venom, which can be used to boost immunity.

— tara bahrampour, Washington Post, "Blindness does not stop this beekeeper, this baker and this kayaker from expanding their vision", 29 June 2017
Aside from produce grown by local farmers, vendors sell baked goods, fruit, meat, eggs, salsa, sauces, oils, cheese, organic soaps and cleaners, fresh lemonade, and local honey, Stolt said.

— phil rockrohr, chicagotribune.com, "Lake Zurich Farmers Market attracting larger crowds this season", 19 June 2017
Janine Antoni, widely considered a contemporary art master, created a series of self-portrait busts, Lick and Lather—one from chocolate, the other from soap.

— jacoba urist, The Atlantic, "How Do You Conserve Art Made of Bologna, or Bubble Gum, or Soap?", 9 June 2017
All the major networks scrapped their regular daytime programming of soap operas and talk shows to show the hearing.

— suzanne baker, Naperville Sun, "Televisions across Naperville tuned to former FBI director's testimony", 8 June 2017
A degreasing soap or special scrub wash such as tecnu or Zanfel works best.

— elliott almond, The Mercury News, "Are you prepared to deal with the poison oak season from hell?", 6 June 2017
Denise Kessler and her husband, Ken, stopped by the E&S Bodyline booth at the Valparaiso Market Saturday, where Luci Lesko of Chesterton was selling her son's handcrafted soaps.

— amy lavalley, Post-Tribune, "Valpo Market kicks off, aims to feature unique vendors", 5 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'soap'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of soap

Middle English sope, from Old English sāpe; akin to Old High German seifa soap

NEW!

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

soap

verb

Definition of soap

transitive verb
1 : to rub soap over or into
2 : flatter

See soap defined for English-language learners

Examples of soap in a Sentence

I soap my hair first when I take a shower.
He soaped and rinsed the car.

First Known Use of soap

1585

SOAP Defined for English Language Learners

soap

play

noun

Definition of soap for English Language Learners

: a substance that is used for washing something

soap

verb

Definition of soap for English Language Learners

: to rub soap over or into (someone or something)

SOAP Defined for Kids

soap

play

noun \ˈsōp\

Definition of soap for Students

: a substance that is used for washing

soap

play

verb

Definition of soap for Students

soaped

;

soaping

: to rub a cleaning substance over or into something

Medical Dictionary

soap

play

noun \ˈsōp\

Medical Definition of soap

1: a cleansing and emulsifying agent made usually by action of alkali on fat or fatty acids and consisting essentially of sodium or potassium salts of such acids
2: a salt of a fatty acid and a metal