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; cf. saponify)

Explanation

Soap gets bubbly and helps cut through dirt and oil. People use soap for cleaning things like clothes, dishes, hands, and bodies. Don’t bother washing your mouth out with soap, though. It doesn’t get rid of bad words. If you ask a chemist about soap, she'll call it a surfactant, a substance that reduces the surface tension of a liquid, making it spreadable. Think of what happens when you lather up a bar of soap under running water and wash your hands with the lather. Soap is made out of natural fats or oils mixed with lye. The Old English root, sape, originally referred to the red hair dye Germanic warriors used to appear scarier.

Example Sentences

A squirt of dish soap, a cup of hot water, a few pulses, a quick brush.

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026

Muldoon originated the role of Austin Reed on the daytime soap opera “Days of Our Lives.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

Instead of using soap or chemicals, it physically scrapes away dirt and marks from surfaces.

From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2026

He made an impact as the villain Andy Semple in the Scottish Television soap opera Take The High Road, a part he played for 14 years between 1980 and 1994.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

I dipped a few ladles of warm water from the stove’s reservoir into the largest enamel bowl, then dropped in a bar of soap and rolled it into a lather.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Related Words

• detergent
• soapsuds