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Synonyms

in a lather

Idioms  

  1. Also, in a state. Agitated and anxious, as in Don't get yourself in a lather over this, or She was in a state over the flight cancellation. The first term alludes to the frothy sweat of a horse, the second to an upset state of mind. [Early 1800s] For a synonym, see in a stew.

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.

But the experience left him in a lather, and feeling sorry for DMV employees manning the daily conveyor belt of human misery.

From Los Angeles Times

By time Villalba took the stage, the audience was in a lather.

From Los Angeles Times

When I reached Arnaud, 75, she’d already renewed her license, but she was still in a lather.

From Los Angeles Times

A couple in a convertible sipped on milkshakes while two white guys in fatigue jackets circled them in a lather, hurling racial epithets.

From Seattle Times

His teacher, racing toward him in a lather.

From Los Angeles Times

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.