laps 1 of 3

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
Brad Keselowski led 170 laps in this race last year, is also a two-time Martinsville winner and is known to be smart at managing his tires. Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025 Thereis a small walking group that gathers to do laps inside the mall, Cordon said. Victoria Le, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025 After two hours of high-speed, eardrum-bursting laps around the winding track, Verstappen proved victorious, with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finishing in second and third, respectively. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 20 Oct. 2025 Norris lost a place to Leclerc and spent more than 20 laps squabbling with the Ferrari driver before overtaking him. Sahil Kapur, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2025 The 44-year-old driver revealed how those last few laps went so quickly as his car supported him in executing a different strategy. Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025 If the plan is to film trail runs, moto rides, beach days, or ski laps without battery anxiety or fiddly menus, this price gets you straight to recording and sharing. PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2025 Everyone was trying to balance their dessert plates on their laps, when my 8-year-old niece dropped an entire piece of chocolate cake on the rug. R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 10 Apr. 2025 His 243 laps led are still the most in a NASCAR race since 2000, when Jeff Burton led all 300 laps in a victory at New Hampshire. Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 7 Apr. 2025
Verb
There were no real victory laps for anyone. Luca Evans, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025 Probably nobody really took it that personally, but all the victory laps she’s been taking over the last two years felt incomplete — like a lap-ette — without a proper major SoCal show to celebrate her ascendance into the pop firmament. Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025 One to two of these selections per day pair perfectly with feet-in-the-sand beach reads and laps in the infinity pool. Katie Lockhart, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2025 And just like in sports, there were some nailbiting finishes, a few major upsets and a whole lot of victory laps to take. Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025 In the middle of it all is a vast pool which looks like a large lake as it is seamlessly set into the ground and laps onto a sandy beach where pink flamingos gather. Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025 There’s a version of Rosebud Baker’s special The Mother Lode that leans much further into its premise and takes more victory laps about the cuteness of its central idea. Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025 And last December, some 100 runners ran laps around a World War II-era bunker in the United Kingdom, in the country’s first underground marathon. Owen Clarke, Outside Online, 29 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laps
legs
Noun
  • Rashee Rice offers another layer to this offense, which eases the burden on Mahomes’ legs and makes every other target better.
    Jeff Howe, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Her legs, still angled from the previous turns, couldn't find purchase to push forward or pull backward.
    Mark Gray, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Laps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laps. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

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