pap

¹ American  

[pap] / pæp /

noun

1. soft food for infants or invalids, as bread soaked in water or milk.

2. an idea, talk, book, or the like, lacking substance or real value.

   Synonyms:

   twaddle, balderdash, drivel

---

pap ² American  

[pap] / pæp /

noun

Chiefly Dialect.

1. a teat; nipple.

2. something resembling a teat or nipple.

---

pap ¹ British  

/ pæp /

noun

1. dialect a nipple or teat

2. 1. something resembling a breast or nipple, such as (formerly) one of a pair of rounded hilltops

   2. ( capital as part of a name )

      the Pap of Glencoe

---

pap ² British  

/ pæp /

noun

1. any soft or semiliquid food, such as bread softened with milk, esp for babies or invalids; mash

2. porridge made from maize

3. worthless or oversimplified ideas; drivel

   intellectual pap

---

pap ³ British  

/ pæp /

verb

1. (of the paparazzi) to follow and photograph (a famous person)

---

Other Word Forms

• paplike adjective

Etymology

Origin of pap¹

1400–50; late Middle English; a nursery word akin to Dutch pap, German Pappe, Latin, Italian pappa

Origin of pap²

1150–1200; Middle English pappe; compare dialectal Norwegian, Swedish pappe, Latin papilla ( see papilla), Lithuanian pãpas, all from a base *pap- ; akin to pap ¹

Example Sentences

Marfisee’s own survey of the mission’s female residents found that nearly 90% were not up to date on recommended cancer screenings like mammograms and pap smears, which detect early cervical cancer.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

Kaitlin Bonfiglio, who avoided pap smears for over a decade due to pain from her pelvic floor dysfunction, was so astonished when her doctor offered her an at-home test that she actually cried.

From Salon • Jun. 9, 2025

With a clear mammogram, ultrasound and pap smear, Munn’s cancer could’ve been among the estimated 20% that go undetected, according to the National Cancer Institute.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2025

The two have cheered each other on via their social media accounts, and strategically pap walked through multiple girls' nights out.

From Salon • Jun. 6, 2025

For one thing, the food at Pollsmoor was far superior; after years of eating pap three meals a day, Pollsmoor’s dinners of proper meat and vegetables were like a feast.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela