plural soap operas
: a television or radio program that has continuing stories about the daily lives and problems of a group of people
She loves to watch daytime soap operas.
—sometimes used figurativelyMy life is a soap opera. [=my life has a lot of dramatic events and problems]
called also (informal) soap
Cite this Entry
“Soap opera.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/soap%20opera. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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