lather

[ lath -er ]

/ ˈlæð ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lather ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

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

Origin of lather

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

Related forms

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

Definition for lather (2 of 2)

lather

[ 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. 2019

Examples from the Web for lather

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
Coco-nut oil is also used in the manufacture of marine soap, which forms a lather with sea-water.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 6|Various
Lather, lath′ėr, n. a foam or froth made with water and soap: froth from sweat.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M)|Various
Change the water, and leave it in a second lather all night.
Mrs. Hale's Receipts for the Million|Sarah Josepha Hale
Put it in the autobath and take a hot bath, plenty of lather.
Tangle Hold|F. L. Wallace
He went on working his soap into a lather with his shaving-brush.
Monsieur, Madame and Bebe, Complete|Gustave Droz

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

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

Idioms and Phrases with lather

lather

see in a lather.

lather

noun

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of lather

Related forms

Definition for lather (2 of 2)

lather

noun

Origin of lather

Examples from the Web for lather

British Dictionary definitions for lather

lather

noun

verb

Derived Forms

Word Origin for lather

Idioms and Phrases with lather

lather