: a cleansing and emulsifying agent made usually by action of alkali on fat or fatty acids and consisting essentially of sodium or potassium salts of such acids
Noun Make sure you use soap and water to wash your hands. The store sells many different brands of liquid soaps. Her first acting job was on a soap. Verb I soap my hair first when I take a shower. He soaped and rinsed the car.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Airbnb ratcheted up its cleaning protocols during Covid-19, with a 36-page handbook requiring that hosts wash all hard surfaces with soap and water, vacuum the floors and disinfect switches and electronics, among other things. Preetika Rana, WSJ, 16 Sep. 2022 Wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling game. Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 15 Sep. 2022 Always wash the item with mild soap and water to remove dust or other debris before polishing. Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Sep. 2022 After preparing raw meat, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. Aria Bendix, NBC News, 12 Sep. 2022 The baffle is removable on some disposals, which simply means remembering to clean it with soap and water or run it through the dishwasher. Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2022 Wood and bamboo tend to be more stylish and usually just need to be wiped down here and there or washed with soap and water as needed. Abigail Bailey, Good Housekeeping, 12 Aug. 2022 There is no cure for the virus, but transmission can be prevented through handwashing with soap and water or hand sanitizer. Chloe Taylor, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2022 The Cleveland Clinic recommends treating them by washing gently with soap and water, then applying an anti-itch product to the bites (like hydrocortisone 1%). Daryl Perry, USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2022
Verb
Fill a large bucket or basin up with water, then use a cup to pour the water over your head once or twice to get wet and soap up, and another scoop or two to rinse off. Kaelyn Lynch, Outside Online, 25 Apr. 2021 Some chose to soap up the bottoms of their tube, while others extended their arms and legs in hopes of being aerodynamic. Amber Love Bond, Forbes, 5 July 2021 The original idea had also been bolstered by Ochoa’s own pre-filmmaking experience as a journalist wondering what went on behind the frosted glass and soaped up windows of north London’s secretive-looking Greek and Turkish social clubs. Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Apr. 2020 While not as effective as soap, hand sanitizer provides quick and easy cleaning should soap and water not be readily available. Sarah Midkiff, refinery29.com, 18 Mar. 2020 But all that soaping up, as well as dry air, can lead to ultra-dry skin. Jessica Kasparian, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2020 All very innocent — moving lawn furniture a block down the street, soaping windows, leaving stink bombs on porches (homemade, nonchemical, nonexplosive types) and moving outhouses. John Kelly, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2019 At Halloween, kids soaped her windows and littered her porch with corn (a prank popular among rural Midwestern youths). Tony Rehagen, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Aug. 2019 When each shift of migrants had finished eating—a good meal of frijoles and some kind of stew, with salsa and hot fresh tortillas on the side—the volunteers soaped dishes in a plastic tub, while the next batch waited outside on the sidewalk. Colin Barrett, Harper's magazine, 5 July 2019 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English sope, from Old English sāpe; akin to Old High German seifa soap
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a