lap

lap1 [ læp ] noun **

1. ) count the top half of your legs above your knees when you sit down:

on/in someone's lap: The cat settled on Christine's lap.

He sat with his hands clasped in his lap.

2. ) count one complete trip around a course in a race:

The race is twelve laps of a seven-mile circuit.

a ) a part of a long trip, especially after a stop: LEG

b ) singular:

They caught a taxi for the next lap of their trip.

drop/dump something in someone's lap

to make someone responsible for a job or problem, without any warning

drop/fall into/land in someone's lap

to suddenly happen or be given to someone without them having to make any effort

in the lap of luxury

in very comfortable and expensive conditions

the last lap

the last stage of something long and difficult

lap

lap 2 [ læp ] verb

1. ) lap or lap up transitive if an animal laps water, it drinks it gently with its tongue

2. ) transitive to pass someone else who is competing in a race when you are ahead of them by a whole lap

3. ) intransitive or transitive if water laps against something, it moves against it gently with a soft sound:

The waves lapped gently against the rocks.

the sound of the sea lapping the shore

,lap `up phrasal verb transitive

1. ) same as LAP 2 1:

They lapped up their milk.

2. ) to enjoy what someone says and be eager to hear more of it:

The jokes were crude but the audience were lapping them up.