Dap vs. Lap: What's the Difference?
By Aimie Carlson || Updated on May 23, 2024
Dap refers to a friendly gesture of greeting or respect, while lap refers to the upper part of the thighs when seated or a circuit around a track.
Key Differences
Dap is a term commonly used to describe a friendly gesture, such as a fist bump or handshake, typically used to show respect or greeting among friends. For example, "They exchanged a dap as they met." Lap, on the other hand, has multiple meanings. It can refer to the upper part of a person's thighs when they are seated ("She sat on his lap"), or it can mean a single circuit around a track ("He ran three laps around the field").
Dap is specific to social interactions and gestures, emphasizing friendliness and respect. Lap can denote either a part of the body used for sitting or holding, or the act of completing a circuit in a race or exercise.
Dap is more informal and colloquial, often used in casual contexts among peers. Lap, however, is more versatile, used in various contexts, including physical activities and body positioning.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Friendly gesture of greeting or respect
Upper part of the thighs when seated; circuit around a track
Common Usage
Social interactions, casual greetings
Physical body part, racing, or exercise
ADVERTISEMENT
Context
Informal, peer interactions
Sitting, running, swimming
Example
"They exchanged a dap"
"She sat on his lap" or "He ran three laps"
Versatility
Specific to social gestures
Used in body positioning and sports
Dap and Lap Definitions
Dap
Casual, informal interaction.
A quick dap and they were on their way.
Lap
Circuit around a track.
He completed four laps in the swimming pool.
ADVERTISEMENT
Dap
Gesture of approval.
The coach gave him a dap for his good performance.
Lap
Overlapping part.
The shingles were arranged in laps on the roof.
Dap
Showing respect among friends.
He gave his teammate a dap after the win.
Lap
The front area from the waist to the knees of a seated person.
Dap
Sign of camaraderie.
Dap is common among close friends and peers.
Lap
The portion of a garment that covers the lap.
Dap
Friendly greeting gesture.
They gave each other a dap when they met.
Lap
A hanging or flaplike part, especially of a garment.
Dap
To fish by letting a baited hook fall gently onto the water.
Lap
An area of responsibility, interest, or control
An opportunity that dropped in his lap.
Dap
To dip lightly or quickly into water, as a bird does.
Lap
A part that overlaps.
Dap
To skip or bounce, especially over the surface of water.
Lap
The amount by which one part overlaps another.
Dap
To greet by means of a dap.
Lap
One complete round or circuit, especially of a racetrack.
Dap
An elaborate gesture of greeting developed by African American soldiers during the Vietnam War, usually consisting of a handshake and other maneuvers such as hand slaps and a fist bump.
Lap
One complete length of a straight course, as of a swimming pool.
Dap
A fist bump.
Lap
A segment or stage, as of a trip.
Dap
A plimsoll.
Lap
A length, as of rope, required to make one complete turn around something.
Dap
(originally) Elaborate handshake, especially hooking thumbs.
Lap
The act of lapping or encircling.
Dap
A fist bump.
Lap
A continuous band or layer of cotton, flax, or other fiber.
Dap
(Bristol) To run or go somewhere quickly.
I'll just dap down to the shop.
Lap
A wheel, disk, or slab of leather or metal, either stationary or rotating, used for polishing and smoothing.
Dap
(metalworking) To create a hollow indentation.
Lap
The act or an instance of lapping.
Dap
(angling) To drop the bait gently onto the surface of the water.
Lap
The amount taken in by lapping.
Dap
To greet with a dap.
Lap
The sound of lapping.
Dap
To drop the bait gently on the surface of the water.
To catch a club by dapping with a grasshoper.
Lap
A watery food or drink.
Lap
To place or lay (something) so as to overlap another
Lapped the roof tiles so that water would run off.
Lap
To lie partly over or on
Each shingle lapping the next.
Shadows that lapped the wall.
Lap
To fold (something) over onto itself
A cloth edge that had been lapped and sewn to make a hem.
Lap
To wrap or wind around (something); encircle.
Lap
To envelop in something; swathe
Models who were lapped in expensive furs.
Lap
To join (pieces, as of wood) by means of a scarf or lap joint.
Lap
(Sports) To get ahead of (an opponent) in a race by one or more complete circuits of the course, as in running, or by two or more lengths of a pool in swimming.
Lap
To convert (cotton or other fibers) into a sheet or layer.
Lap
To polish (a surface) until smooth.
Lap
To hone (two mating parts) against each other until closely fitted.
Lap
To lie partly on or over something; overlap.
Lap
To form a lap or fold.
Lap
To wind around or enfold something.
Lap
To take in (a liquid or food) by lifting it with the tongue.
Lap
To wash or slap against with soft liquid sounds
Waves lapping the side of the boat.
Lap
To take in a liquid or food with the tongue.
Lap
To wash against something with soft liquid sounds.
Lap
The loose part of a coat; the lower part of a garment that plays loosely; a skirt; an apron.
Lap
An edge; a border; a hem, as of cloth.
Lap
The part of the clothing that lies on the knees or thighs when one sits down; that part of the person thus covered.
Lap
(figuratively) a place of rearing and fostering
Lap
The upper legs of a seated person.
The boy was sitting on his mother's lap.
Lap
The female pudenda.
Lap
(construction) A component that overlaps or covers any portion of itself or of an adjacent component.
Lap
The act or process of lapping.
Lap
That part of any substance or fixture which extends over, or lies upon, or by the side of, a part of another.
The lap of a board
Lap
The state or condition of being in part extended over or by the side of something else; or the extent of the overlapping.
The second boat got a lap of half its length on the leader.
Lap
The amount by which a slide valve at its half stroke overlaps a port in the seat, being equal to the distance the valve must move from its mid stroke position in order to begin to open the port. Used alone, lap refers to outside lap (see below).
Lap
(sports) One circuit around a race track.
To run twenty laps
To drive the fastest lap in qualifying
To win by three laps
Lap
(swimming) The traversal of one length of the pool, or (less commonly) one length and back again.
To swim two laps
Lap
In card playing and other games, the points won in excess of the number necessary to complete a game;—so called when they are counted in the score of the following game.
Lap
A sheet, layer, or bat, of cotton fiber prepared for the carding machine.
Lap
A piece of brass, lead, or other soft metal, used to hold a cutting or polishing powder in cutting glass, gems, etc. or in polishing cutlery, etc. It is usually in the form of a wheel or disk that revolves on a vertical axis.
Lap
The taking of liquid into the mouth with the tongue.
Lap
Liquor; alcoholic drink.
Lap
(transitive) To enfold; to hold as in one's lap; to cherish.
Lap
(transitive) To rest or recline in a lap, or as in a lap.
Lap
(transitive) To fold; to bend and lay over or on something.
To lap a piece of cloth
Lap
(transitive) to wrap around, enwrap, wrap up
To lap a bandage around a finger
Lap
(transitive) to envelop, enfold
Lapped in luxury
Lap
(intransitive) to wind around
Lap
(transitive) To place or lay (one thing) so as to overlap another.
One laps roof tiles so that water can run off.
Lap
(transitive) To polish, e.g., a surface, until smooth.
Lap
(intransitive) To be turned or folded; to lie partly on or over something; to overlap.
The cloth laps back.
The boats lap; the edges lap.
Lap
To overtake a straggler in a race by completing one more whole lap than the straggler.
Lap
To cut or polish with a lap, as glass, gems, cutlery, etc.
Lap
(ambitransitive) To take (liquid) into the mouth with the tongue; to lick up with a quick motion of the tongue.
Don’t lap your soup like that, you look like a dog.
Lap
To wash against a surface with a splashing sound; to swash.
Lap
Clipping of laparoscopic
Lap
The loose part of a coat; the lower part of a garment that plays loosely; a skirt; an apron.
Lap
An edge; a border; a hem, as of cloth.
If he cuts off but a lap of truth's garment, his heart smites him.
Lap
The part of the clothing that lies on the knees or thighs when one sits down; that part of the person thus covered; figuratively, a place of rearing and fostering; as, to be reared in the lap of luxury.
Men expect that happiness should drop into their laps.
Lap
That part of any substance or fixture which extends over, or lies upon, or by the side of, a part of another; as, the lap of a board; also, the measure of such extension over or upon another thing.
Lap
The amount by which a slide valve at its half stroke overlaps a port in the seat, being equal to the distance the valve must move from its mid stroke position in order to begin to open the port. Used alone, lap refers to outside lap. See Outside lap (below).
Lap
The state or condition of being in part extended over or by the side of something else; or the extent of the overlapping; as, the second boat got a lap of half its length on the leader.
Lap
One circuit around a race track, esp. when the distance is a small fraction of a mile; as, to run twenty laps; to win by three laps. See Lap, to fold, 2.
Lap
In card playing and other games, the points won in excess of the number necessary to complete a game; - so called when they are counted in the score of the following game.
Lap
A sheet, layer, or bat, of cotton fiber prepared for the carding machine.
Lap
A piece of brass, lead, or other soft metal, used to hold a cutting or polishing powder in cutting glass, gems, and the like, or in polishing cutlery, etc. It is usually in the form of wheel or disk, which revolves on a vertical axis.
Lap
The act of lapping with, or as with, the tongue; as, to take anything into the mouth with a lap.
Lap
The sound of lapping.
Lap
To rest or recline in a lap, or as in a lap.
To lap his head on lady's breast.
Lap
To cut or polish with a lap, as glass, gems, cutlery, etc. See 1st Lap, 10.
Lap
To fold; to bend and lay over or on something; as, to lap a piece of cloth.
Lap
To wrap or wind around something.
About the paper . . . I lapped several times a slender thread of very black silk.
Lap
To infold; to hold as in one's lap; to cherish.
Her garment spreads, and laps him in the folds.
Lap
To lay or place over anything so as to partly or wholly cover it; as, to lap one shingle over another; to lay together one partly over another; as, to lap weather-boards; also, to be partly over, or by the side of (something); as, the hinder boat lapped the foremost one.
Lap
To lay together one over another, as fleeces or slivers for further working.
Lap
To be turned or folded; to lie partly upon or by the side of something, or of one another; as, the cloth laps back; the boats lap; the edges lap.
The upper wings are opacous; at their hinder ends, where they lap over, transparent, like the wing of a flay.
Lap
To take up drink or food with the tongue; to drink or feed by licking up something.
The dogs by the River Nilus's side, being thirsty, lap hastily as they run along the shore.
Lap
To make a sound like that produced by taking up drink with the tongue.
I heard the ripple washing in the reeds,And the wild water lapping on the crag.
Lap
To take into the mouth with the tongue; to lick up with a quick motion of the tongue.
They 'II take suggestion as a cat laps milk.
Lap
The upper side of the thighs of a seated person;
He picked up the little girl and plopped her down in his lap
Lap
An area of control or responsibility;
The job fell right in my lap
Lap
The part of a piece of clothing that covers the thighs;
His lap was covered with food stains
Lap
A flap that lies over another part;
The lap of the shingles should be at least ten inches
Lap
Movement once around a course;
He drove an extra lap just for insurance
Lap
Touching with the tongue;
The dog's laps were warm and wet
Lap
Lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another
Lap
Pass the tongue over;
The dog licked her hand
Lap
Move with or cause to move with a whistling or hissing sound;
The bubbles swoshed around in the glass
The curtain swooshed open
Lap
Take up with the tongue;
The cat lapped up the milk
The cub licked the milk from its mother's breast
Lap
Wash or flow against;
The waves laved the shore
Lap
Upper part of the thighs when seated.
The child sat comfortably on her mother’s lap.
Lap
Part of a race.
The car led the race for the final lap.
Lap
Fold or layer.
The fabric was folded over in laps.
FAQs
How is dap used in a sentence?
E.g., "They exchanged a dap before the game started."
How is lap used in a sentence?
E.g., "The baby fell asleep on her father's lap."
Is dap specific to any culture?
Dap is widely used in various cultures, particularly in African American communities.
Can lap refer to something other than sitting or racing?
Yes, lap can also refer to an overlapping part or fold, as in "laps of fabric."
Can dap be used in formal settings?
Dap is generally informal and used among friends and peers.
What are the physical contexts for lap?
Lap is used to describe sitting positions or movements in racing and exercise.
What does lap mean in racing?
In racing, a lap is a complete circuit around a track.
What is dap?
Dap is a friendly gesture of greeting or respect, such as a fist bump or handshake.
What does lap refer to?
Lap can refer to the upper part of the thighs when seated or a single circuit around a track.
What part of the body is the lap?
The lap is the upper part of the thighs when a person is seated.
Can lap refer to water movements?
Yes, in some contexts, lap can describe the gentle movement of water, such as waves lapping the shore.
What gestures can be considered dap?
Fist bumps, handshakes, and other similar friendly gestures can be considered dap.
How did the term dap originate?
Dap likely originated from African American slang and has been popularized through sports and popular culture.
What is the difference between a lap and a circuit?
A lap is specifically a single round in racing or exercise, while a circuit can refer to any closed loop in various contexts.
Is dap an acronym?
No, dap is not an acronym; it is a term for a type of greeting gesture.
How common is the use of dap?
Dap is common in casual, social interactions, especially among young people.
Are dap and lap used in sports?
Yes, dap is used in sports for greeting and respect, while lap is used in sports for describing circuits or rounds.
Is lap used in swimming?
Yes, in swimming, a lap refers to one length of the pool.
What does it mean to "run a lap"?
To run a lap means to complete one circuit around a track or field.
Can a lap be part of clothing?
Yes, lap can describe overlapping parts of clothing or material, like in "laps of fabric."
About Author
Written by
Aimie CarlsonAimie Carlson, holding a master's degree in English literature, is a fervent English language enthusiast. She lends her writing talents to Difference Wiki, a prominent website that specializes in comparisons, offering readers insightful analyses that both captivate and inform.
