soap

American  

[sohp] / soʊp /

noun

1. 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.

2. any metallic salt of an acid derived from a fat.

3. Slang.  money, especially as used for bribery in politics.

4. Slang.  Also soap opera.

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verb (used with object)

1. to rub, cover, lather, or treat with soap.

idioms

1. no soap,  no go.

   He wanted me to vote for him, but I told him no soap.

soap British  

/ səʊp /

noun

1. 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

2. any metallic salt of a fatty acid, such as palmitic or stearic acid See also metallic soap

3. slang  flattery or persuasive talk (esp in the phrase soft soap )

4. informal  short for soap opera

5. slang  money, esp for bribery

6. slang  not possible or successful

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verb

1. (tr) to apply soap to

2. slang

   1. to flatter or talk persuasively to

   2. to bribe

soap Scientific  

/ sōp /

1. 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.

2. Compare detergent

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soap More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing soap

• no dice (soap)
• on one's soapbox
• soft soap

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Other Word Forms

• oversoap verb (used with object)
• soapless adjective
• soaplike adjective
• unsoaped adjective

Etymology

Origin of soap

before 1000; Middle English sope, Old English sāpe, cognate with German Seife, Dutch zeep, all < West Germanic (perhaps ≫ Latin sāpō; saponify )

Example Sentences

A neat bookend to another traumatic 12 months in Welsh rugby's soap opera.

From BBC

When a drop of soap lands on the surface, the leaves are suddenly pulled outward, and swirling currents begin.

From Science Daily

Even the bathroom soap smells like someone thought about it for longer than five seconds.

From Salon

Toilets lacked basic items such as soap, while water gushing from the faucets was tinged brown.

From The Wall Street Journal

In his view, Bath & Body Works’ weak performance stems from a lack of focus on the company’s three core categories—body care, home fragrance, and soaps and sanitizers.

From Barron's

Related Words

• detergent
• soapsuds