soap
A solid or liquid thing that you use with water to wash your body, hands, or other things.
A cleansing substance, usually in solid or liquid form, used with water for washing the body, hands, or other things.
To put soap on something or someone so you can wash it.
To cover something or someone with soap, usually in order to wash or clean it.
An informal word for a TV show with many episodes about the same people, their family, love, and problems.
An informal word for a soap opera: a television or radio drama series that follows the everyday lives and relationships of the same group of characters, often continuing for many episodes.
In science, a substance made from fats and a strong base, used as a cleaner.
In chemistry, a cleaning agent that is the sodium or potassium salt of a fatty acid, typically produced by reacting fats or oils with an alkali.
- Base: soap
- Plural: soaps
- Base: soap
- 3rd Person Singular: soaps
- Present Participle: soaping
- Past: soaped
bar of soap
1single solid piece of soap
One solid piece of soap that you can hold in your hand.
- He dropped the bar of soap on the shower floor.
- I bought a large bar of soap that should last a month.
- The hotel left a small bar of soap next to the sink.
liquid soap
1soap that is a liquid
Soap that is not hard, but in liquid form, often in a bottle with a pump.
- Many people now prefer liquid soap to bar soap.
- The dispenser in the office bathroom is out of liquid soap.
- Liquid soap is easier to share in public places.
soap and water
1basic way of washing
Soap together with water, used to wash and clean something.
- You can clean most small cuts with simple soap and water.
- The doctor told him to wash the wound with soap and water twice a day.
- Hot soap and water should be enough to clean the floor.
soap down
1wash someone with soap
To wash someone or something by putting soap all over their body or surface.
- The nurse soaped down the patient gently.
- We soaped down the dog after he rolled in the mud.
- After the game, the coach told the team to soap down and get ready to go home.
soap up
1cover with soap before washing
To put soap all over something or someone so that you can wash it or them.
- He soaped up the car before rinsing it with the hose.
- I quickly soaped up and jumped in the shower.
- She soaped up the dirty dishes and left them to soak.
soft soap
1insincere praise to persuade
Nice words that are not honest, used to make someone feel good so they will do what you want.
- He tried a bit of soft soap on the manager to get a pay rise.
- Don't fall for his soft soap; he just wants your vote.
- The speech was full of soft soap but short on real ideas.
soft-soap someone
1flatter someone to influence them
To say very nice things to someone, not honestly, because you want them to do something for you.
- He tried to soft-soap the boss into giving him a promotion.
- You can't soft-soap me; I still won't change my decision.
- She soft-soaped the clients before asking them to sign the contract.
wash your mouth out with soap
1punish for rude language
To strongly tell someone not to use bad or rude words, based on the old idea of cleaning their mouth with soap as a punishment.
- When he swore at the teacher, she told him he needed to wash his mouth out with soap.
- My grandma used to threaten to wash our mouths out with soap if we cursed.
- You should wash your mouth out with soap for saying something like that.
soap opera
1long-running TV or radio drama series
A TV or radio show with many episodes that follows the same people and their family, love, and life problems.
- She never misses her favorite soap opera in the afternoon.
- She has watched the same soap opera for over twenty years.
- The new soap opera has quickly become a hit with viewers.
- The new soap opera about doctors has become very popular.
- They joked that his love life was like a bad soap opera.