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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use soap in a sentence
A big-hearted Irishman caught the little lady struggling over soap-suds.
Dixie After the War | Myrta Lockett AvaryMrs. T. I won't have you coming in here all over soap, there's nothing to get excited about.
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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