soap

1 of 2

noun

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

2 of 2

verb

soaped; soaping; soaps

transitive verb

1
: to rub soap over or into
2

Examples of soap in a Sentence

Noun 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. Verb I soap my hair first when I take a shower. He soaped and rinsed the car.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Walls, floors and anything with a hard surface that has come into contact with floodwater — like appliances, countertops or children’s play areas — needs to be cleaned with soap and water and disinfected with a bleach solution. Jen Christensen, CNN, 27 Sep. 2024 Watch on Deadline Chavez will not be returning to the soap. Lynette Rice, Deadline, 26 Sep. 2024
Verb
Drivers soaped and rubbed down their cars and trucks, apparently unaware of the tragedy that had taken place less than 12 hours before. Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 July 2024 Don’t try to multitask and rapidly soap up the colander between peeling potatoes. Genevieve Ko, New York Times, 20 Nov. 2023 See all Example Sentences for soap 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'soap.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1585, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of soap was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near soap

Cite this Entry

“Soap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soap. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

soap

1 of 2 noun
1
: a substance that is usually made by the action of alkali on fat, dissolves in water, and is used for washing
2
: a salt of a fatty acid
3

soap

2 of 2 verb
: to rub soap over or into

Medical Definition

soap

noun
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

More from Merriam-Webster on soap

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