Lap | Mean of lap in English Dictionary

/ˈlæp/

• Noun
• the area between the knees and the hips of a person who is sitting down
1. A child was sitting on his lap.
2. She held the baby in/on her lap.
3. He kept his hands in/on his lap.
4. The students rested the books in/on their laps.
• in a situation of great ease, comfort, and wealth
1. She was reared in the lap of luxury.
• not yet decided or certain
1. The election is too close to call: the result is in the lap of the gods.
• Verb

• to cause (something) to partly cover something else
1. lap one shingle over another
• to go past (another racer who is one or more laps behind you)
1. When I lapped the runner who was in second place, I knew I'd have an easy victory.
• Noun
• an act of going completely around a track or over a course when you are running, swimming, etc.
1. The race is 12 laps long.
2. With one lap remaining, the race was still close.
3. the last/final lap of the race
4. (US) He was swimming/doing laps in the pool. [=he was swimming from one end of the pool to the other and then back again]
• a part of a journey
1. They were in the last lap [=stage, leg] of their trip home from Europe.
• Verb
• to drink by licking with the tongue
1. The dog was lapping at the water in the puddle.
2. The cat lapped the water in the dish.
3. The dog lapped up the water in the puddle.
4. The crowd lapped up every word he said. [=the crowd eagerly listened to and accepted every word he said]
5. He was making some outrageous claims, but the audience was really lapping it up.
• to move repeatedly over or against something in gentle waves
1. The waves lapped at/against the shore.
2. Waves gently lapped the shore.