lapped 1 of 2

Definition of lappednext
past tense of lap
1
as in washed
to flow along or against the waves gently lapped the sandy shore

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

lapped

2 of 2

verb (2)

past tense 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 lapped
Verb
The rising water lapped at the wheels of the plane. Ben East, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2026 Luna, the family’s Labradoodle, waddled in and lapped water from the bowl. Literary Hub, 12 May 2026 But it will also be lapped up by anyone who can remember the European package holidays of the 1970s. Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 11 May 2026 The river lapped through sand behind me. Matt Crossman, Midwest Living, 14 Apr. 2026 Gilliland qualified 35th and was lapped early, but steadily progressed into the top 15. Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2026 Here, travelers will find white-sand beaches lapped by turquoise waters. Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2026 The Rams’ tight end room underwent a renaissance in 2025, with the team featuring three-tight end sets – or 13-personnel – at a rate that lapped the rest of the NFL. Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026 Hollywood creates silver screen narratives adored by the world, but its institution for visual art was getting lapped by smaller cities. Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 6 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lapped
Verb
  • Cotton clothes are lint shedders, microfibers are lint attractors and when washed together, microfiber fleece ends up covered with little balls of lint.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 15 May 2026
  • An employee washed their hands with single use gloves on.
    Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado May 15, Sacbee.com, 15 May 2026
Verb
  • The rocket booster splashed down off the coast of Texas seven minutes after launch.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 14 May 2026
  • As the family’s trip drew to a close on Thursday evening, Jones and a friend, who had joined them, splashed into the water.
    Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 12 May 2026
Verb
  • The impact of the large employer and community beacon rippled as the city faced a period of economic struggle.
    Chris Kenning, USA Today, 15 May 2026
  • An hour into Frieze New York’s VIP opening on Wednesday, a terrifying tone rippled through the main hall.
    Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 15 May 2026
Verb
  • The testimony of Shivon Zilis — senior Musk adviser, former OpenAI board member and mother of four of his children — showed how thoroughly personal and professional relationships overlapped inside early OpenAI.
    Anisha Sircar, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
  • The payments were spread out from spring 2022 to late 2024, which overlapped with Williamson’s time as Newsom’s chief of staff.
    Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • The latest private-members country club to have opened in Oxfordshire, wrapped in a Jacobethan hall with parkland, is a humdinger with an instant cachet.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 May 2026
  • Principal photography wrapped in Japan in April.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 May 2026
Verb
  • With more than enough work to go around, broadcast and cable networks were bathed in green light and the introduction of original series on streaming services was considered an exciting novelty, rather than the first ominous drumbeats of industry-disrupting dominance.
    Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
  • For a few fleeting minutes and seconds, the sun will be completely blocked, revealing its delicate outer atmosphere — the corona — as the landscape is bathed in an eerie twilight.
    Jamie Carter, Space.com, 6 May 2026
Verb
  • Our blind taste test deduced which flavored fizzes bubbled up to the top.
    Emily Heil, Washington Post, 15 May 2026
  • Breakup rumors surrounding Cardi and Diggs bubbled up around the 2026 Super Bowl in February.
    Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
Verb
  • The nervous tension that had enveloped the Emirates was banished, replaced by a carnival atmosphere.
    Ayo Akinwolere, New York Times, 10 May 2026
  • To capture the 4-year-old’s personality, her aunt enveloped it in Annika Reed Studio’s Pegasus wallpaper and painted the trim Benjamin Moore’s Bedford Blue (1679) to match.
    Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 10 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Lapped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lapped. Accessed 21 May. 2026.

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