lap
noun · verb
Simple meaning
The loose part of a coat.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
lapIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈlæp
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The loose part of a coat; the lower part of a garment that plays loosely; a skirt; an apron.
The part of a piece of clothing that covers the thighs
“His lap was covered with food stains.”
An edge; a border; a hem, as of cloth.
The upper side of the thighs of a seated person
“He picked up the little girl and plopped her down in his lap.”
The upper legs of a seated person.
figuratively
A place of rearing and fostering.
verb
transitive
To enfold; to hold as in one's lap; to cherish.
transitive
To envelop, enfold
transitive
To rest or recline in someone's lap, or as in a lap.
transitive
To fold; to bend and lay over or on something.
transitive
To wrap around, enwrap, wrap up
intransitive
To wind around
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The part of a piece of clothing that covers the thighs
Used this way, lap is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“His lap was covered with food stains.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Uppernoun
“He picked up the little girl and plopped her down in his lap.”
Clothingnoun
“His lap was covered with food stains.”
More ways to use lap
- “His lap was covered with food stains.”noun
- “He picked up the little girl and plopped her down in his lap.”noun
- “The lap of the shingles should be at least ten inches.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.