lather

[ lath-er ]

/ ˈlæð ər /

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noun

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)

to form a lather: a soap that lathers well.

to become covered with lather, as a horse.

verb (used with object)

to apply lather to; cover with lather: He lathered his face before shaving.

Informal. to beat or whip.

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IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

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Origin of lather

before 950; Middle English; Old English lēathor soap; cognate with Old Norse lauthr (Icelandic löthur) lather, foam

OTHER WORDS FROM lather

lath·er·er, nounun·lath·ered, adjective

Words nearby lather

latex, latex agglutination test, latex paint, lath, lathe, lather, lathery, lathi, lathing, lathing hammer, lathy

Other definitions for lather (2 of 2)

lather²

[ lath-er, lah-ther ]

/ ˈlæθ ər, ˈlɑ θər /

noun

a worker who puts up laths.

Origin of lather

lath + -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use lather in a sentence

Work the lather through the brush hairs then rinse well, squeeze out the remaining water and allow to air-dry.
Hints From Heloise: No phone is on the way|Heloise Heloise|April 16, 2021|Washington Post
One of the first, UVeBand, tracks how well your sunscreen is performing—and pings you when its time to lather up again.
Sunny Smartwatches, Bags, and iGrills: This Summer’s Must-Have Tech|Charlotte Lytton|May 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As a boy, I watched my grandfather create a froth of lather in that cup, and shave himself with a straight razor.
Scott Turow: How I Write|Noah Charney|October 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
That only makes more mysterious the lather he can work himself into whenever he talks about these issues on air today.
Al Sharpton’s Past Ties to Vote Fraud Taint His Fulminating|Wayne Barrett|December 10, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Working the gossips of UrbanBaby into a lather is a low bar; losing them lower still.
What's Really Behind the Prep-School Mom's Twitter Meltdown|Nick Summers|April 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST
But is the press getting itself worked into a lather over what Barbour did and thought when he was a teenager?
Haley Barbour's Mississippi Memories|Howard Kurtz|December 21, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Have ready in a wash-kettle, a strong cold lather of clear water and white Castile soap.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley
Make a lather of white soap and cold water, and put it into a saucepan.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley
The next moment his head, under the energetic manipulation of the operator, was a creamy mass of lather.
Jack Harkaway's Boy Tinker Among The Turks|Bracebridge Hemyng
A good lather is applied all over the body with good friction by the means of a shampoo brush and soap.
The Mother and Her Child|William S. Sadler
Williams turned up with "Pussy" in a lather, having been hunting for me all round Pretoria.
In the Ranks of the C.I.V.|Erskine Childers

British Dictionary definitions for lather

lather

/ (ˈlɑːðə, ˈlæ-) /

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

Derived forms of lather

lathery, adjective

Word Origin for lather

Old English lēathor soap; related to Old Norse lauthr foam

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with lather

lather

see in a lather.

lather

Origin of lather

OTHER WORDS FROM lather

Words nearby lather

Other definitions for lather (2 of 2)

Origin of lather

Words related to lather

How to use lather in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lather

Derived forms of lather

Word Origin for lather

Other Idioms and Phrases with lather