WordGarden.iolather
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /ˈlæð.ə/countablenoun
US
- /ˈlæðər/
Meanings
Noun
a mass of soap or shampoo foam used in washing or shaving
a state of nervous excitement or agitation
Verb
to cover with soap or shampoo foam while washing or shaving
Beyond the definition
You lather when you rub soap, shampoo, or a similar product with water until it turns into foam. Think of washing your hands, shampooing your hair, or building up shaving cream with a brush. The word can name both the act and the foam itself.
It also appears in the expression "in a lather," which means upset, nervous, or worked up. You can picture someone getting as stirred up as soap being whipped into bubbles.
To lather means to work a substance—typically soap or detergent—with liquid (usually water) to produce a frothy foam. This process is essential for cleaning because the bubbles help lift dirt and grime away from surfaces. For example: "She carefully lathered her hands with antibacterial soap," or "He spent ten minutes trying to lather up his long hair."
The noun lather is the foam itself. You might see a thick lather in a sink, on someone's hair, or on a shaving brush before a shave. In that sense, the word often brings to mind cleaning, bathing, and shaving.
But "lather" is not limited to literal washing. In the expression "in a lather," it describes a state of worry, anger, or excited upset. If someone is "in a lather" over a mistake or a bit of bad news, they are clearly worked up. "The office was in a lather after the sudden announcement."
You will also hear it in everyday phrases such as "lather up" and "lather on." "Lather up" usually means to make soap or shampoo foamy. "Lather on" can mean to spread something thickly, especially lotion, sunscreen, or shaving cream, by analogy with soap.
So the word moves between two closely linked ideas: making or having foam, and being in a stirred-up emotional state. Both senses carry the image of something being whipped into an active, busy state.
Examples
- 1
Hair washing
The shampoo made a thick lather in her hair.
- 2
Handwashing
Lather your hands with soap for at least twenty seconds.
- 3
Shaving
He lathered his face before shaving.
- 4
Making foam
Add a little water and work the soap into a lather.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Shaving preparation
The barber told him to lather up before using the razor.
- Phraselather up
put on soap or shaving cream until it foams
- 6
Animal sweat
By the end of the run, the horse was in a lather.
- Phrasein a lather
covered with sweat
- 7
Worry
Don't get yourself in a lather over one small mistake.
- Phraseget in a lather
become very upset or worried
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- lathernounverb
Forms
- latheredpast tenseverbnoun
- lathersverbnoun
- lathering-ing formverbnoun