lapped 1 of 2

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
Where the water once lapped against the sandstone walls has been turned white, offering a constant reminder of the shrinking lake. — Story Hinckley, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Oct. 2026 The Armoury by Ring Jacket Cotton Sport Chinos The Armoury tapped Japan’s Ring Jacket to make its Sport Chinos, which bridge the casual-formal divide with a button fly, lapped side seams, a higher rise and a tapered leg. — Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 14 Sep. 2026 Following the game, coach Jose Mourinho’s sharp comments on the refereeing decisions got lapped up on social media this week, and all eyes will now be on how Madrid bounce back against Inter. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 8 Sep. 2026 And several other power players in college football have lapped the Tigers in just a few short years. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026 Even in the early 1990s, one of Ferrari’s most unsuccessful periods of form in F1, when its cars lapped two seconds slower than the then-mighty McLaren or Williams teams, the home grand prix would still carry an extra weight. — Luke Smith, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Found 220 miles west of Panama City on the southeastern tip of the Azuero Peninsula, the town features a 2-mile crescent of golden-sand beach lapped by Pacific Ocean waters. — Kathleen Peddicord, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Cars made slow turns in the water, sending miniature tides that lapped at the curb. — Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 16 Aug. 2026 Passed in 1979, the current plan has been lapped not only by Boise’s land-use laws, but also by construction materials, preservation practices and architecture itself. — Mark Dee july 24, Idaho Statesman, 24 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lapped
Verb
  • The collection also includes an oversize reversible bomber jacket, washed and distressed sweatshirts and T-shirts, a polo, baseball caps and dedicated kids’ pieces.
    — Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The tongs used to grab pastelitos, croquetas and empanadas from the hot box had been in use more than four hours without being washed, rinsed and sanitized again.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Podcast platforms, which once splashed cash around, have also cut their spending.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • This gargantuan show is replete with Pollock's greatest hits, the giant, frozen dances of paint splashed on canvas that have become iconic.
    — Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR, 10 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Further complicating the government's efforts to bring the French deficit under control are nationwide student protests, which have rippled outward from Paris since late September.
    — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
  • As the System of a Down banner came down, disbelief rippled through the crowd, many of whom had been waiting all night.
    — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 15 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Studios together meant making difficult decisions where the two companies overlapped, and unfortunately that affected talented people.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Olivia Rodrigo has clarified both her stance on artificial intelligence and her relationship status after the two issues overlapped for the pop star this summer.
    — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 7 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • On a late September afternoon, Mariposa Park Apartments in west Fort Worth was quiet, yet the blue tarp, failing roof and wire fence wrapped around the complex about the aftermath of a fire that tore it apart a month ago.
    — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Cambria Wells, the center’s education and outreach manager, recalls a hummingbird that was similarly wrapped in webbing and didn’t make it.
    — Katie Koschalk, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • On Saturday morning, Donald Judd’s 100 Untitled Works in Mill Aluminum was glimmering in the Marfa sunshine, bathed in light with nobody to see it.
    — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Dduk Dabang The restaurant specializes in toppoki, which are hot dishes filled with chewy rice cakes bathed in a sauce.
    — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • And for the artists of a genre that first bubbled up three decades ago, reparto’s global takeover is just getting started.
    — Jessica Roiz, Billboard, 12 Oct. 2026
  • In the back, tanks bubbled with live lobsters while crawfish squirmed in boxes nearby.
    — Sara Rosenthal, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Take Sophie Rowell, founder of Côte de Folk, who, in one project, recently enveloped walls and floors in a deep olive green, adding a sense of tactility by forgoing hard flooring and rugs in favor of wall-to-wall carpet.
    — Hannah Coates, Vogue, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Umanmielen kept pushing Sewell backward and then, finally, enveloped Goff in his arms for his third sack of the season.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Lapped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lapped. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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