lather
1 Americannoun
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foam or froth made by a detergent, especially soap, when stirred or rubbed in water, as by a brush used in shaving or by hands in washing.
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foam or froth formed in profuse sweating, as on a horse.
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Informal. a state of excitement, agitation, nervous tension, or the like.
He was in a lather over my delay.
verb (used without object)
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to form a lather.
a soap that lathers well.
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to become covered with lather, as a horse.
verb (used with object)
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to apply lather to; cover with lather.
He lathered his face before shaving.
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Informal. to beat or whip.
noun
noun
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foam or froth formed by the action of soap or a detergent in water
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foam formed by other liquid, such as the sweat of a horse
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informal a state of agitation or excitement
verb
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to coat or become coated with lather
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(intr) to form a lather
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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lathersimple
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latherssimple
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have latheredperfect
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has latheredperfect
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am latheringprogressive
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are latheringprogressive
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is latheringprogressive
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have been latheringperfect progressive
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has been latheringperfect progressive
Past
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latheredsimple
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had latheredperfect
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was latheringprogressive
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were latheringprogressive
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had been latheringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of lather1
before 950; Middle English; Old English lēathor soap; cognate with Old Norse lauthr ( Icelandic löthur ) lather, foam
Origin of lather2
Explanation
A lather is the froth soaps and detergents produce. Lathering also means to soap yourself up, and a lather can be a state of extreme agitation. When you're taking a shower, you make the soap frothy: this is a lather, and you're lathering when you create it. Rubbing soap on your body is also called lathering. Since lather is a stirred-up form of soap, it can also apply to emotions that have been stirred up. Someone upset is in a lather. Getting in a lather usually results from worry or anger, and it's an unpleasant state of mind.
Vocabulary lists containing lather
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Lather, rinse and repeat until you catch a fish.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 6, 2022
"If we don't come for a few weeks, we'll hear it from our kids," says Emilie, who started Lather, a line of aromatherapy-based face, body and hair-care products in 1999.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2015
Lather, rinse, repeat, and, remarkably, we turn the unknown into the known.
From Slate • Jul. 17, 2015
Lather, rinse, repeat — the little sub-objectives offered by bounties offer me just enough focus to keep that dopamine flowing.
From Forbes • Sep. 16, 2014
“That’s one thing Mother and Lather didn’t plan on—the unknown. There’s a lot I haven’t told them.”
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
