lap

Your lap is the top of your thighs when you sit down, where your cat might sit. Lap can also refer to a trip around a racetrack, or to the act of overtaking a competitor by a lap.

Lap is associated with a number of idioms. If something "falls into your lap," you have gotten something without making much effort. For example, maybe you discovered a rare fossil in your yard while looking for your lost baseball. If you sold that fossil for a lot of money, you may find yourself now "sitting in the lap of luxury." That’s a wonderful place to be!

Definitions of lap
  1. noun
    the upper side of the thighs of a seated person
    “he picked up the little girl and plopped her down in his lap”
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    type of:
    thigh
    the part of the leg between the hip and the knee
  2. noun
    the part of a piece of clothing that covers the thighs
    “his lap was covered with food stains”
    synonyms: lap covering
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    type of:
    cloth covering
    a covering made of cloth
  3. noun
    an area of control or responsibility
    “the job fell right in my lap”
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    types:
    lap of the gods
    beyond human control or responsibility
    type of:
    area, arena, domain, field, orbit, sphere
    a particular environment or walk of life
  4. noun
    a flap that lies over another part
    “the lap of the shingles should be at least ten inches”
    synonyms: overlap
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    types:
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    cuff, turnup
    the lap consisting of a turned-back hem encircling the end of the sleeve or leg
    lapel
    lap at the front of a coat; continuation of the coat collar
    lappet
    a small lap on a garment or headdress
    revere, revers
    a lapel on a woman's garment; turned back to show the reverse side
    trouser cuff
    a cuff on the bottoms of trouser legs
    type of:
    flap
    any broad, thin, and limber covering attached at one edge; hangs loose or projects freely
  5. noun
    movement once around a course
    “he drove an extra lap just for insurance”
    synonyms: circle, circuit
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    types:
    pace lap
    the first lap of a car race that prepares the cars for a fast start
    lap of honour, victory lap
    a lap by the winning person or team run to celebrate the victory
    type of:
    locomotion, travel
    self-propelled movement
  6. verb
    wash or flow against
    synonyms: lave, wash
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    type of:
    flow
    cover or swamp with water
  7. verb
    lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another
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    type of:
    lie
    be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
  8. verb
    take up with the tongue
    “The cat lapped up the milk”
    synonyms: lap up, lick
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    type of:
    drink, imbibe
    take in liquids
  9. verb
    pass the tongue over
    synonyms: lick
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    types:
    tongue
    lick or explore with the tongue
    type of:
    stroke
    touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions
  10. noun
    touching with the tongue
    “the dog's laps were warm and wet”
    synonyms: lick
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    type of:
    touch, touching
    the act of putting two things together with no space between them
  11. verb
    move with or cause to move with a whistling or hissing sound
    synonyms: swish, swoosh, swosh
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    type of:
    go, sound
    make a certain noise or sound
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