1
2
as in splashes
to flow in a broken irregular stream
the creek lapped along through the ravine before collecting in the pond
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in overlaps
to lie over parts of one another
the armadillo's plates lap tightly so as to form a protective shield
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in wraps
to surround or cover closely
this recording of the symphony is sure to lap listeners in stereophonic bliss
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of laps
Marcus Smith, Sacbee.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Close and Teyana Taylor get closest to the assignment, but Paulson is doing laps around all of them.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
Kyle Larson was well behind Denny Hamlin as the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race was coming down to the final laps on Sunday evening at Phoenix Raceway, but fellow contender William Byron caused a caution when one of his tires blew.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025
The last caution came when Byron hit the wall in the final laps, erasing Hamlin’s comfortable lead with just three laps remaining around the one-mile Phoenix oval.
—Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
After some time, Hamlin emerged from his car and was greeted by his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, relishing the fact his sixth attempt at a title wasted away despite leading 208 of the 319 laps after starting on the pole.
—Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
The girls were deeply attached to them all, grabbing for their hands and sitting on their laps.
—Natalia Paradies, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025
Those who took a quick peek inside the front window saw walls lined with bookcases and young, Black men strewn about in old, thrifted armchairs, their laps piled high with books.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
Thereis a small walking group that gathers to do laps inside the mall, Cordon said.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
Emily Schwing, NPR, 10 Nov. 2025
There’s nothing better than slushy park laps with the homies.
—Drew Zieff, Outside, 7 Nov. 2025
Pick a distant parking spot at the grocery store, for example, or walk laps around the field while your child is at soccer practice.
—Jamie Ducharme, Health, 4 Nov. 2025
There were no real victory laps for anyone.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
Probably nobody really took it that personally, but all the victory laps she’s been taking over the last two years felt incomplete — like a lap-ette — without a proper major SoCal show to celebrate her ascendance into the pop firmament.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025
One to two of these selections per day pair perfectly with feet-in-the-sand beach reads and laps in the infinity pool.
—Katie Lockhart, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2025
And just like in sports, there were some nailbiting finishes, a few major upsets and a whole lot of victory laps to take.
—Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
In the middle of it all is a vast pool which looks like a large lake as it is seamlessly set into the ground and laps onto a sandy beach where pink flamingos gather.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
Larson, 33, completed the feat earning the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series title during the final laps of Sunday’s race at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.
—Marcus Smith, Sacbee.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Close and Teyana Taylor get closest to the assignment, but Paulson is doing laps around all of them.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
Kyle Larson was well behind Denny Hamlin as the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race was coming down to the final laps on Sunday evening at Phoenix Raceway, but fellow contender William Byron caused a caution when one of his tires blew.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025
The last caution came when Byron hit the wall in the final laps, erasing Hamlin’s comfortable lead with just three laps remaining around the one-mile Phoenix oval.
—Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
After some time, Hamlin emerged from his car and was greeted by his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, relishing the fact his sixth attempt at a title wasted away despite leading 208 of the 319 laps after starting on the pole.
—Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
The girls were deeply attached to them all, grabbing for their hands and sitting on their laps.
—Natalia Paradies, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025
Those who took a quick peek inside the front window saw walls lined with bookcases and young, Black men strewn about in old, thrifted armchairs, their laps piled high with books.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
Thereis a small walking group that gathers to do laps inside the mall, Cordon said.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
Now, the black and frigid Bering Sea laps at the beach only a few hundred feet from the far corner of the local airport runway.
—Emily Schwing, NPR, 10 Nov. 2025
There’s nothing better than slushy park laps with the homies.
—Drew Zieff, Outside, 7 Nov. 2025
Pick a distant parking spot at the grocery store, for example, or walk laps around the field while your child is at soccer practice.
—Jamie Ducharme, Health, 4 Nov. 2025
There were no real victory laps for anyone.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
Probably nobody really took it that personally, but all the victory laps she’s been taking over the last two years felt incomplete — like a lap-ette — without a proper major SoCal show to celebrate her ascendance into the pop firmament.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025
One to two of these selections per day pair perfectly with feet-in-the-sand beach reads and laps in the infinity pool.
—Katie Lockhart, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2025
And just like in sports, there were some nailbiting finishes, a few major upsets and a whole lot of victory laps to take.
—Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
In the middle of it all is a vast pool which looks like a large lake as it is seamlessly set into the ground and laps onto a sandy beach where pink flamingos gather.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laps
legs
Noun
-
Michkov’s lack of goals, exacerbated, of course, but his lack of legs and lungs was starting to wear on him mentally.—
Kevin Kurz,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
One man stays on top of McGaff’s torso, the other appears to sit on his legs.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Laps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laps. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share