lather
1 Americannoun
-
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.
-
foam or froth formed in profuse sweating, as on a horse.
-
Informal. a state of excitement, agitation, nervous tension, or the like.
He was in a lather over my delay.
verb (used without object)
-
lathers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lathered,
past participle, past
-
lathering
present participle
-
to form a lather.
a soap that lathers well.
-
to become covered with lather, as a horse.
verb (used with object)
-
lathers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lathered,
past participle, past
-
lathering
present participle
-
to apply lather to; cover with lather.
He lathered his face before shaving.
-
Informal. to beat or whip.
noun
noun
-
foam or froth formed by the action of soap or a detergent in water
-
foam formed by other liquid, such as the sweat of a horse
-
informal a state of agitation or excitement
verb
-
to coat or become coated with lather
-
(intr) to form a lather
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
lathersimple
-
latherssimple
-
have latheredperfect
-
has latheredperfect
-
am latheringprogressive
-
are latheringprogressive
-
is latheringprogressive
-
have been latheringperfect progressive
-
has been latheringperfect progressive
Past
-
latheredsimple
-
had latheredperfect
-
was latheringprogressive
-
were latheringprogressive
-
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
This Week in Words: April 29 - May 4, 2018
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
I Can Make This Promise
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Warriors Don't Cry (Abridged)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Wall Street worked itself into a lather over the idea that the Fed could adopt a more forgiving inflation measure than the personal-consumption-expenditure index the central bank tracks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
It may seem like years in the past at this point, but it was only three little months ago that the world got itself worked into a lather over Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights.”
From Salon ● May 3, 2026
“Soap doesn’t lather as well with hard water,” said Campbell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2024
The apes picked leaves, chewed them into a green-white lather, and rubbed the substance onto their arms and legs.
From Science Magazine ● May 1, 2024
Doli’s shaggy pony labored through the trees; the bard had ridden his own mount into a lather.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
Now he says he's frightened by the sun and lathers himself up in SPF before even thinking about stepping outdoors.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2025
And cosmetic companies, which were shifting away from animal- or petroleum-based ingredients, were captivated by its miracle properties: It foams in toothpaste and shaving gel, moisturizes soaps and lathers in shampoo.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2020
When the other voices are not enough, Smith pulls a hoarse yell from somewhere near his sternum and lathers out his judgment.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 18, 2018
Davis snaps on a cape decorated in hundred dollar bills, then lathers Booker’s face as his eyes flutter shut.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 15, 2018
"Whenever highborn girls came into the shop with their lathers, my master told me I was to bend the knee, and speak only when they spoke to me, and call them m’lady."
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
She ate more black beans, lathered her scalp with French soap and opted for root perms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026
This dread has been my constant companion ever since I lathered up, rinsed and watched handfuls of dirty blonde strands circle the drain three weeks ago.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2025
Shinichirō Watanabe's vision marries futuristic visuals with realism, with the series' jazz score treated as something to be felt and then absorbed, like dry skin lathered in shea butter.
From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2025
“His face lathered and wearing one of his famous grins,” he talked “gayly to his press friends” while he was being shaved, Price wrote.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 29, 2023
“Our horses have borne all they can,” he said, patting the lathered neck of Melynlas.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
So, thanks to my time in the scanner, I am now far more enthusiastic about lathering sunscreen all over my body - rather than only on my face.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Hers is a labor-intensive process, teasing out the dough, lathering on the praline filling, and then letting the cakes rest and rise for several hours.
From New York Times ● Feb. 12, 2024
Some people benefit from lathering up every day.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 23, 2023
Other water-saving actions include turning off the shower/faucet while lathering or brushing teeth and installing a greywater recycling system.
From National Geographic ● Jul. 25, 2023
Alyce, coughing and sputtering, traded jobs with the man who was lathering their backs.
From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman
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.
