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lap2

Syllabification: (lap)
Pronunciation: /lap/
Translate lap | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of lap

noun

  • 1one circuit of a track or racetrack.
  • a stage in a swim consisting of two lengths of a pool.
  • a section of a journey or other undertaking:we caught a cab for the last lap of our journey
  • 2an overlapping or projecting part.
  • the amount by which one thing overlaps or covers a part of another.
  • Metallurgy a defect formed in rolling when a projecting part is accidentally folded over and pressed against the surface of the metal.
  • (in a steam engine) the distance by which the valve overlaps the steam port (or the exhaust port).
  • 3a single turn of rope, thread, or cable around a drum or reel.
  • a layer or sheet, typically wound on a roller, into which cotton or wool is formed during its manufacture.
  • 4(in a lapping machine) a rotating disk with a coating of fine abrasive for polishing.
  • a polishing tool of a special shape, coated or impregnated with an abrasive.

verb (laps, lapping, lapped)

  • 1 [with object] overtake (a competitor in a race) to become one or more laps ahead:she lapped all of her rivals in the 3,000 meters
  • [no object] (of a competitor or vehicle in a race) complete a lap, especially in a specified time:he lapped two tenths of a second faster than anyone else
  • 2 [with object] (lap someone/something in) literary enfold or swathe a person or thing, especially a part of the body, in (something soft):he was lapped in blankets figurativeI was accustomed to being lapped in luxury
  • 3 [no object] project beyond or overlap something:the water lapped over the edges
  • 4 [with object] polish (a gem or a metal or glass surface) with a lapping machine.

Origin:

Middle English (as a verb in the sense 'coil, fold, or wrap'): from lap1. Sense 1 of the noun and verb date from the mid 19th century

lap in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of lap in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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