MEANING
To wash gently and repeatedly against an edge or surface, as water does.
Use it for
Quiet shores, soft recurring contact, and sheltered water.Set a scene's water movement at a gentle pace.
Words that belong together
- waves lap the shore
- water laps against rocks
- gently lapping water
On the page
Small waves lapped the canoe.
Water lapped against the roots of the willow.
At dusk, the lake was still lapping softly along the pebbly shore.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- lap / laps
- Past tense
- lapped
- Past participle
- lapped
- Present participle
- lapping
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- lap / laps
- Present continuous
- am/is/are lapping
- Present perfect
- have/has lapped
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been lapping
- Past
- lapped
- Past continuous
- was/were lapping
- Past perfect
- had lapped
- Past perfect continuous
- had been lapping
- Future
- will lap / laps
- Future continuous
- will be lapping
- Future perfect
- will have lapped
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been lapping
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: environment. This water-motion sense differs from drinking with the tongue; conveys mild repeated contact. Verb [base, third-person, past, past participle, -ing]: lap, laps, lapped, lapped, lapping.
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