soap
a substance used for washing and cleansing purposes, usually made by treating a fat with an alkali, as sodium or potassium hydroxide, and consisting chiefly of the sodium or potassium salts of the acids contained in the fat.
any metallic salt of an acid derived from a fat.
Slang. money, especially as used for bribery in politics.
Slang.Also soaper. soap opera.
to rub, cover, lather, or treat with soap.
Idioms about soap
no soap, Informal. no go: He wanted me to vote for him, but I told him no soap.
Origin of soap
1Other words from soap
- soapless, adjective
- soaplike, adjective
- o·ver·soap, verb (used with object)
- un·soaped, adjective
Words Nearby soap
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use soap in a sentence
She said there are schools with windows that won’t open, without soap in the restrooms and where ventilation systems are out of date.
In Connecticut, Miguel Cardona led a full-court press for schools to reopen | Laura Meckler, Nick Anderson | February 2, 2021 | Washington PostPeople also need access to things like clean water, soap, and fresh underwear to confidently get through their day-to-day life while on their period.
What we can learn from Scotland’s free period products | Sara Kiley Watson | December 10, 2020 | Popular-ScienceBusinesses provide soap, paper towels, water, and toilet paper to customers and employees who use their restrooms without charge—and without second thought.
Why business must help end ‘period poverty’ for women in America | jakemeth | December 10, 2020 | FortunePlus, it’s harder to obtain basic necessities like soap or masks and on-site testing is still hard to come by.
Morning Report: Why COVID Is Coursing Through Local Jails | Voice of San Diego | December 2, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoExperts have also heard reports about difficulties accessing things like masks or soap in various facilities, or that sometimes staff members don’t always use masks while interacting with those detained.
San Diego’s Many Jail Outbreaks Have These Factors in Common | Maya Srikrishnan | December 2, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
It was a Senate floor soap opera over none other than a soap-opera producer.
White King soap sponsored the show on the West Coast, and Beech-Nut Gum in the East.
The Flying Sorcery of Dr. Strange: Benedict Cumberbatch Is Marvel's Most Bizarre Magician | Rich Goldstein | December 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt is impossible to talk about Dr. Strange without mentioning soap, apple juice, and suicide.
The Flying Sorcery of Dr. Strange: Benedict Cumberbatch Is Marvel's Most Bizarre Magician | Rich Goldstein | December 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd just this week, reports surfaced that the regime recently executed 10 party officials for watching South Korean soap operas.
How ‘Titanic ’Helped This Brave Young Woman Escape North Korea’s Totalitarian State | Lizzie Crocker | October 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTLike the soap operas of yore, Marvel has replaced major and minor characters in their films as necessary.
The Coming Civil War: Iron Man Vs. Captain America 3 | Rich Goldstein | October 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhy use dangerous cosmetics when Jones' soap retains youth and health for the complexion, and fosters the development of beauty?
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsWhy, he ordered his chamber-maid to bring him some soap and warm water, that he might wash the sour krout off his hands.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | VariousOr turn from the gray officials to the purple citizens of the soap bubble commonwealth of socialism.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen LeacockShe peered around the room for the last time, and then dropped two small clean towels and a cake of soap into the bag.
The Box-Car Children | Gertrude Chandler WarnerI ordered lukewarm baths, frequent fomentations, and the use of oil and soap, applied externally and rubbed into the body.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida Pfeiffer
British Dictionary definitions for soap
/ (səʊp) /
a cleaning or emulsifying agent made by reacting animal or vegetable fats or oils with potassium or sodium hydroxide. Soaps often contain colouring matter and perfume and act by emulsifying grease and lowering the surface tension of water, so that it more readily penetrates open materials such as textiles: See also detergent Related adjective: saponaceous
any metallic salt of a fatty acid, such as palmitic or stearic acid: See also metallic soap
slang flattery or persuasive talk (esp in the phrase soft soap)
informal short for soap opera
US and Canadian slang money, esp for bribery
no soap US and Canadian slang not possible or successful
(tr) to apply soap to
(tr often foll by up) slang
to flatter or talk persuasively to
US and Canadian to bribe
Origin of soap
1Derived forms of soap
- soapless, adjective
- soaplike, adjective
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
Scientific definitions for soap
[ sōp ]
A substance used for washing or cleaning, consisting of a mixture of sodium or potassium salts of naturally occurring fatty acids. Like detergents, soaps work by surrounding particles of grease or dirt with their molecules, thereby allowing them to be carried away. Unlike detergents, soaps react with the minerals common in most water, forming an insoluble film that remains on fabrics. For this reason soap is not as efficient a cleaner as most detergents. The film is also what causes rings to form in bathtubs. Compare detergent.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with soap
In addition to the idiom beginning with soap
- soap opera
also see:
- no dice (soap)
- on one's soapbox
- soft soap
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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