Lap means the top part of your legs when you sit. You can put things on it, like a book or a pet.
She put the book on her lap.
The cat sat on his lap.
To lap means to fold one piece of cloth or material over another. It often means covering part of something.
She lapped the edges of the paper.
The blanket lapped over his legs.
Lap means to drink by moving your tongue quickly over the liquid. Animals like cats and dogs do this.
The dog lapped the water fast.
She lapped milk from the bowl.
In racing, to lap someone means to go past them and be one full lap ahead. It shows you are leading by a big distance.
The leading car lapped the slower one.
She was lapped by the race winner.
In clothing, a lap is a piece of fabric that folds over another part, like on a jacket front or pants. It adds style or function.
The jacket has a lap that buttons here.
His coat lap was dirty.
Lap as a verb means to cover part of something by lying over it. It describes overlapping parts on objects.
The roof laps the wall here.
The tiles lap each other nicely.
