soap

play

noun \ ˈsōp \

Definition of soap

1 a :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

b :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

During last year's 4-8 season, Tuberville made the quarterback situation a weekly soap opera.

— tom groeschen, Cincinnati.com, "UC QB: 'Definitely a lot different' than Tuberville era," 29 Aug. 2017
Too bad that the film whiffs it with Allan Loeb’s script, which is no more creative in generating shocking family secrets than a random soap opera.

— colin covert, kansascity, "‘Only Living Boy in New York’ lacks life," 23 Aug. 2017
A gentle bar soap works well too, especially for sponges.

— brooke shunatona, Cosmopolitan, "4 Easy Steps for Cleaning Your Makeup Brushes That Every Lazy Girl Needs to Know," 18 Aug. 2017
Visitors will find fine arts and handmade crafts including drawing, painting in oils, watercolors or acrylics, fibers, floral, glass, jewelry, handmade soap, metal work, photography, pottery, basketry, ceramics, sculpture and woodworking.

— The Aegis, "Havre de Grace Art Show back for 54th year Saturday, Sunday," 18 Aug. 2017
Leave the soap on the surface for the time recommended by the manufacturer. Rinse the area with a 40-degree nozzle (white).

— roy berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "How to Stop Your Wooden Deck From Splintering," 12 Aug. 2017
With Capaldi, the oldest actor to play the part in several decades, occupying the TARDIS, the program has been thankfully free of soap-operatic elements.

— varad mehta, National Review, "Why Can’t the Doctor Be More Like a Woman?," 22 July 2017
Coconut oil Coconut oil, with its sweet tropical scent, is being hailed as a super product used in acne treatments, soaps, shampoos and skin creams.

— by rochelle koff, miamiherald, "Juicing. Coconut Oil. What to watch out for in the latest food fads," 21 July 2017
The quarterback situation is mostly soap opera, at least unless Alex Smith gets hurt, but that will be there the whole time.

— sam mellinger, kansascity, "Mellinger Minutes: Chiefs’ outlook, Sporting surging, and what would Royals be like with Yordano Ventura?," 18 July 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! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

soap Synonyms

Synonyms

cleanser, detergent, cleaner

Related Words

disinfectant, purifier, solvent; scrub, shampoo

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.

Recent Examples of soap from the Web

Wait for the drop while getting soaped up: This party involves fives hours of EDM music, thousands of gallons of foam, flashing lights, and roughly 7,000 people.

— tarpley hitt, Philly.com, "The world's largest foam party and three other things to do down the shore, June 30-July 2," 28 June 2017
In the 1950s and 1960s, Bradley Group Showers marketed its water-saving column showers with posters of topless schoolboys happily soaping down together.

— j.y. chua, The Atlantic, "Bathing in Controversy," 2 June 2017

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

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