soap
[ sohp ]
/ soʊp /
noun
a substance used for washing and cleansing purposes, usually made by treating a fat with an alkali, as sodium or potassium hydroxide, and consisting chiefly of the sodium or potassium salts of the acids contained in the fat.
any metallic salt of an acid derived from a fat.
Slang.
money, especially as used for bribery in politics.
Slang. Also soaper.
soap opera.
verb (used with object)
to rub, cover, lather, or treat with soap.
Idioms for soap
no soap, Informal.
no go: He wanted me to vote for him, but I told him no soap.
Origin of soap
before 1000; Middle English
sope, Old English
sāpe, cognate with German
Seife, Dutch
zeep, all < West Germanic (perhaps ≫ Latin
sāpō; cf.
saponify)
OTHER WORDS FROM soap
soap·less, adjective soap·like, adjective o·ver·soap, verb (used with object) un·soaped, adjectiveWords nearby soap
Example sentences from the Web for soap
British Dictionary definitions for soap
soap
/ (səʊp) /
noun
verb
(tr)
to apply soap to
(tr often foll by up) slang
- to flatter or talk persuasively to
- US and Canadian to bribe
Derived forms of soap
soapless, adjective soaplike, adjectiveWord Origin for soap
Old English
sāpe; related to Old High German
seipfa, Old French
savon, Latin
sāpō
Medical definitions for soap
soap
[ sōp ]
n.
A cleansing agent that is made from a mixture of the sodium salts of various fatty acids of natural oils and fats.
A metallic salt of a fatty acid, as of aluminum or iron.
Other words from soap
soap v.Scientific definitions for soap
soap
[ sōp ]
A substance used for washing or cleaning, consisting of a mixture of sodium or potassium salts of naturally occurring fatty acids. Like detergents, soaps work by surrounding particles of grease or dirt with their molecules, thereby allowing them to be carried away. Unlike detergents, soaps react with the minerals common in most water, forming an insoluble film that remains on fabrics. For this reason soap is not as efficient a cleaner as most detergents. The film is also what causes rings to form in bathtubs. Compare detergent.
Idioms and Phrases with soap
soap