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Definition of lapsnext
plural of lap
as in legs
a portion of a trip we were on the last lap of the journey, eagerly heading for home

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laps

2 of 3

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of lap
1
as in washes
to flow along or against the waves gently lapped the sandy shore

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2
3
as in ripples
to move with a splashing motion a stiff breeze that was causing the lake waters to lap against the hull with some force

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laps

3 of 3

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of lap

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of laps
Noun
Larson, 33, completed the feat earning the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series title during the final laps of Sunday’s race at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Marcus Smith, Sacbee.com, 6 Nov. 2025 Close and Teyana Taylor get closest to the assignment, but Paulson is doing laps around all of them. Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025 Kyle Larson was well behind Denny Hamlin as the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race was coming down to the final laps on Sunday evening at Phoenix Raceway, but fellow contender William Byron caused a caution when one of his tires blew. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025 The last caution came when Byron hit the wall in the final laps, erasing Hamlin’s comfortable lead with just three laps remaining around the one-mile Phoenix oval. Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025 After some time, Hamlin emerged from his car and was greeted by his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, relishing the fact his sixth attempt at a title wasted away despite leading 208 of the 319 laps after starting on the pole. Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025 The girls were deeply attached to them all, grabbing for their hands and sitting on their laps. Natalia Paradies, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025 Those who took a quick peek inside the front window saw walls lined with bookcases and young, Black men strewn about in old, thrifted armchairs, their laps piled high with books. Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025 Thereis a small walking group that gathers to do laps inside the mall, Cordon said. Victoria Le, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
The Hollywood Broadwalk provides the ocean on one side and breakfast on the other; the Palm Beach Lake Trail allows for a look into the backyards of the one-percenters, while the water laps up on the other side. Eric Barton, Sun Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2026 For many years, Jones ran laps around the Dean Spanoses of the NFL. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Dec. 2025 Milestone laps at 2,000, 5,000 and 9,000 rides were taken with friends he’s made at DCA or Radiator Springs Racers cast members — Disney parlance for employees. Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 5 Dec. 2025 Tom Hanks had that easy jog in Forrest Gump; Peter Strauss channeled frustration into his prison laps in The Jericho Mile; Franka Potente balled up her fists and ran for her boyfriend’s life in Run Lola Run. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025 Uncommon Knowledge Strip away the victory laps, and three facts matter. Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025 Slick napkins that slide off of everyone’s laps onto the floor? Kristen Kidd, Denver Post, 26 Nov. 2025 Now, the black and frigid Bering Sea laps at the beach only a few hundred feet from the far corner of the local airport runway. Emily Schwing, NPR, 10 Nov. 2025 There’s nothing better than slushy park laps with the homies. Drew Zieff, Outside, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laps
legs
Noun
  • The present-day Red Sox are on the other side of that rebuild, and have no legs on which to stand in this entirely avoidable calamity of losing both Devers and Bregman.
    Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 12 Jan. 2026
  • The prospectors liked to compare the warm, unctuous caress of the silt on their legs and thighs to the kisses of ten thousand lips, rather than imagine that the river had nothing to offer them—except mud.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Laps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laps. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.

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