laps 1 of 3

plural of lap
as in legs
a portion of a trip we were on the last lap of the journey, eagerly heading for home

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laps

2 of 3

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of lap
1
as in washes
to flow along or against the waves gently lapped the sandy shore

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2
3
as in ripples
to move with a splashing motion a stiff breeze that was causing the lake waters to lap against the hull with some force

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laps

3 of 3

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of lap

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
Noun
In over 300 starts, Power has led over 5,000 laps and currently sits in fourth on both the all-time INDYCAR podium (108) and top five (142) lists. Bruce Martin, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025 Alex Bowman falls three laps down after a slow pit stop. Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 1 Sep. 2025 He's run more than 1,000 laps in the new ZR1 and was part of the Corvette engineering team that set new records for an American manufacturer at Germany's famed Nürburgring Nordschleife racetrack. Morgan Korn, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2025 Contest categories distinguish between quilts made for beds, walls and laps and those quilted by hand or by machine, among other techniques and qualifications. Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 26 Aug. 2025 Finishing in the top 10 is all well and good, but leading laps and routinely putting yourself in position to win are essential in the playoffs. Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025 Sanchez and his brother-in-law did a few laps around their house and found that the party covered several blocks with people drinking, smoking and playing music in a crowd so dense that emergency workers couldn’t get through at some points to assist people. Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025 For example, the playable demo featured City Trial, a beloved mode in the original game that's about so much more than doing laps. PC Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025 With just a few laps remaining, race leader Ryan Blaney was on his way to win the Goodyear 400 when Wallace ran into Larson. Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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 Water laps at the shore and paddleboarders and kayakers pull up behind the stage to groove to the tunes. The Know, Denver Post, 15 Aug. 2025 There’s a version of Rosebud Baker’s special The Mother Lode that leans much further into its premise and takes more victory laps about the cuteness of its central idea. Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025 And last December, some 100 runners ran laps around a World War II-era bunker in the United Kingdom, in the country’s first underground marathon. Owen Clarke, Outside Online, 29 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laps
legs
Noun
  • The senior picked apart the Red Wolves with his arm and his legs, setting the tone for a big offensive output.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2025
  • He was wrapped up at the 5 and kept churning his legs and dove into the end zone.
    Cody Thorn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Laps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laps. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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