soap

[ sohp ]

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.

verb (used with object)

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

soap

/ 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 saponaceous
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. no soap slang.
   not possible or successful

verb

1. tr to apply soap to
2. slang.
   troften foll byup
   1. to flatter or talk persuasively to
   2. to bribe

soap

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˈsoapˌlike, adjective
• ˈsoapless, adjective

Other Words From

• soapless adjective
• soaplike adjective
• over·soap verb (used with object)
• un·soaped adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of soap¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of soap¹

Old English sāpe; related to Old High German seipfa, Old French savon, Latin sāpō

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. no soap, Informal. no go:

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

More idioms and phrases containing soap

In addition to the idiom beginning with soap , also see no dice (soap) ; on one's soapbox ; soft soap .

Example Sentences

The soap, which is set in the fictional town of Letherbridge, has followed the lives of staff and patients of a Midlands GP practice, for 24 years.

From BBC

Those who worked on the show have also expressed their sadness ahead of the soap coming to an end.

From BBC

In other words, what might have seemed like a mutually convenient layby into which Ms Gray could be shunted, ended up perpetuating a rather public soap opera.

From BBC

His breakout role in a popular soap opera titled “Love and Truth” in 1984 led to a heady career as a national heartthrob.

From Los Angeles Times

Patient wounds routinely crawling with maggots because health care facilities have no access to soap, gauze, disinfectant and running water.

From Salon

Related Words

• detergent
• soapsuds