Meaning & use
lap
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Meanings
nouncountable
the flat area formed by the upper legs of a person who is sitting down.
Grammar: Usually singular in this sense and often used with on or in: on someone's lap, in your lap.
Patterns
- on someone's lap
- in your lap
- sit on someone's lap
The child climbed onto her grandmother's lap and fell asleep.
He balanced the laptop on his lap while watching television.
She rested the book in her lap and looked out of the window.
nouncountable
one complete circuit of a track or course, especially in racing or running.
Grammar: Countable and often used with numbers or words like final and last: the final lap, three laps.
Patterns
- run a lap
- the final lap
- three laps of the track
He was ahead by half a lap with only two laps to go.
The runners must complete ten laps of the track.
She set the fastest lap of the race on her last circuit.
verbtransitivesport
to overtake a competitor by a whole circuit in a race.
Grammar: Takes an object: lap another runner. It is common in the passive: be lapped.
Patterns
- lap a competitor
- be lapped by someone
The leader was so fast that he lapped two of the other runners.
She was lapped by the winner just before the finish line.
verbtransitive or intransitive
to drink by taking up liquid with quick movements of the tongue, as an animal does.
Grammar: Can be used with or without an object, and often with up: the cat lapped the milk; the cat lapped up the milk.
Patterns
- lap something up
- lap at something
- lap up water
The dog lapped water from the bowl noisily.
The kittens lapped up the milk in seconds.
Waves lapped gently at the side of the boat.
verbtransitive or intransitive
to lie partly over something so that the edges cover it.
Grammar: Often used with over: one piece laps over another; the tiles lap each other.
Patterns
- lap over something
- lap something over something
The roof tiles lap over each other so that rain runs off.
Fold the paper so that one edge laps over the other.
Word forms
| plural | laps |
|---|---|
| third person singular | laps |
| past tense | lapped |
| past participle | lapped |
| -ing form | lapping |
Common combinations
- on someone's lap
- The cat sat quietly on his lap during the whole film.
- run a lap
- Each student had to run a lap of the field.
- the final lap
- She sprinted ahead on the final lap and won.
- lap up
- The puppy lapped up the water as soon as it was put down.
- lap at something
- Small waves lapped at the edge of the pool.
Synonyms and how they differ
- circuit
- A circuit is a complete route around a track; a lap is one such circuit in a race or training session.
- knees
- Knees refers only to the joints; lap means the whole flat area made by the thighs of a seated person.
Word family
- lapping noun
- the sound or action of liquid moving gently against a surface
- lapful noun
- as much as a lap can hold
Commonly confused: lap or laptop? lap or lapel?
lap vs laptop
A laptop is a small computer; lap is the area of your legs when you sit, which is where the computer often rests.
lap vs lapel
A lapel is the folded part of a jacket front near the chest; a lap is the flat area of your legs when seated.
Practice
Choose the sentence where 'lap' means one circuit of a track.
Choose one answer.
'Lap' as a circuit of a track fits the racing sentence. The first sentence uses the seated-legs sense, the second uses the verb for drinking, and the fourth uses the verb for overlapping.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lap”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.