Lap vs. Lop — What's the Difference?
By Fiza Rafique & Maham Liaqat — Updated on March 26, 2024
Lap refers to the flat area between the waist and knees when seated, whereas lop means to cut off branches or parts of something.
Difference Between Lap and Lop
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Lap is commonly understood as the area of the body between the waist and knees when in a seated position. This area becomes a surface on which objects can be placed or where pets often find comfort. On the other hand, lop is a verb that describes the action of cutting off, typically branches from a tree or parts from a larger whole. It implies a reduction or removal process.
While the term lap is often associated with comfort, closeness, or nurturing—e.g., holding a child on one's lap or a cat finding warmth there—lop carries connotations of pruning, maintenance, or even loss. Lopping can be crucial for the health of a tree or the shaping of plants, whereas sitting in someone's lap often symbolizes a moment of rest or affection.
The physicality associated with lap and lop also diverges significantly. Lap involves a passive state, such as sitting down, making one's lap accessible to pets or objects. Conversely, lop requires an active engagement, wielding tools like shears or saws to cut branches, showcasing a direct, physical intervention in nature or objects.
Usage context also differentiates these terms markedly. Lap is used in more personal, intimate settings or to describe a specific physical space relative to the human body. Lop is utilized in more technical or outdoor contexts, often related to gardening, forestry, or agriculture, indicating an action taken to modify or manage growth.
The emotional resonance of each word contrasts sharply. Lap often evokes feelings of warmth, security, and comfort, as seen in expressions like "sitting in grandma's lap." Lop, however, might evoke feelings of renewal or loss, depending on the context—trimming for growth or the severing of part of a whole.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
The flat area between the waist and knees when seated.
To cut off branches or parts from something.
Connotation
Comfort, closeness, nurturing.
Pruning, maintenance, loss.
Physicality
Passive state (being seated).
Active engagement (cutting).
Usage Context
Personal, intimate settings.
Technical, outdoor activities (gardening, forestry).
Emotional Resonance
Warmth, security, comfort.
Renewal, loss.
Compare with Definitions
Lap
Part of phrases that denote care or security.
Falling into the lap of luxury.
Lop
Lop involves cutting off branches or parts of plants.
They had to lop the dead branches off the old oak tree.
Lap
The lap is the area formed by the upper legs and the area around when one is seated.
The child sat quietly on her mother's lap.
Lop
Can imply reducing something in size or extent.
Lopping the hedges back to promote new growth.
Lap
Defines a specific area of the body in a seated position.
The napkin was spread across his lap during dinner.
Lop
The goal is often to improve health or appearance.
Lopping the bushes gave the garden a neater appearance.
Lap
Represents a space of warmth and safety.
The kitten curled up in her lap, purring contentedly.
Lop
Involves the use of specific tools like shears or saws.
Armed with a saw, he set out to lop the overgrown limbs.
Lap
Often used as a natural resting place for pets or objects.
He placed the book on his lap while reading.
Lop
Often associated with garden or landscape maintenance.
The annual lopping of the fruit trees helped increase yield.
Lap
The front area from the waist to the knees of a seated person.
Lop
To cut off (a part), especially from a tree or shrub
Lopped off the dead branches.
Lap
The portion of a garment that covers the lap.
Lop
To cut off a part or parts from; trim
Lopped the vines back.
Lopped her curls shorter.
Lap
A hanging or flaplike part, especially of a garment.
Lop
To eliminate or excise as superfluous
Lopped him from the payroll.
Lap
An area of responsibility, interest, or control
An opportunity that dropped in his lap.
Lop
To hang or let hang loosely; droop.
Lap
A part that overlaps.
Lop
To cut off as the top or extreme part of anything, especially to prune a small limb off a shrub or tree, or sometimes to behead someone.
Lap
The amount by which one part overlaps another.
Lop
To hang downward; to be pendent; to lean to one side.
Lap
One complete round or circuit, especially of a racetrack.
Lop
To allow to hang down.
To lop the head
Lap
One complete length of a straight course, as of a swimming pool.
Lop
That which is lopped from anything, such as branches from a tree.
Lap
A segment or stage, as of a trip.
Lop
(Geordie) A flea.
Hadway wi ye man, ye liftin wi lops.
Lap
A length, as of rope, required to make one complete turn around something.
Lop
A disabled person, a cripple.
Lap
The act of lapping or encircling.
Lop
Any of several breeds of rabbits whose ears lie flat.
Lap
A continuous band or layer of cotton, flax, or other fiber.
Lop
A flea.
Lap
A wheel, disk, or slab of leather or metal, either stationary or rotating, used for polishing and smoothing.
Lop
That which is lopped from anything, as branches from a tree.
Lap
The act or an instance of lapping.
Lop
To cut off as the top or extreme part of anything; to shorten by cutting off the extremities; to cut off, or remove, as superfluous parts; as, to lop a tree or its branches.
Expunge the whole, or lop the excrescent parts.
Lap
The amount taken in by lapping.
Lop
To cut partly off and bend down; as, to lop bushes in a hedge.
Lap
The sound of lapping.
Lop
To hang downward; to be pendent; to lean to one side.
Lap
A watery food or drink.
Lop
To let hang down; as, to lop the head.
Lap
To place or lay (something) so as to overlap another
Lapped the roof tiles so that water would run off.
Lop
Hanging down; as, lop ears; - used also in compound adjectives; as, lopeared; lopsided.
Lap
To lie partly over or on
Each shingle lapping the next.
Shadows that lapped the wall.
Lop
Cut off from a whole;
His head was severed from his body
The soul discerped from the body
Lap
To fold (something) over onto itself
A cloth edge that had been lapped and sewn to make a hem.
Lop
Cultivate, tend, and cut back the growth of;
Dress the plants in the garden
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
Common Curiosities
What does it mean to sit in someone's lap?
It refers to the act of sitting on the flat area formed by the thighs of a seated person, often for comfort or affection.
What tools are used for lopping?
Tools such as pruning shears, loppers, and saws are commonly used for lopping.
Can objects be placed in your lap?
Yes, objects like books or trays can be placed in one's lap when seated.
How does a lap disappear?
When a person stands up, the flat area known as the lap ceases to exist.
Can animals have laps?
In the context of human anatomy, only humans have laps, as it is the area formed by the upper legs in a seated position.
Can lopping affect a tree's health?
Proper lopping can improve a tree's health, but excessive or improper lopping can be detrimental.
How do pets react to laps?
Many pets seek out laps as a source of warmth and comfort.
Why do people lop trees?
Trees are lopped to remove dead or overgrown branches, improving health and appearance.
Is lopping always beneficial for plants?
While lopping can promote growth and health, improper lopping can harm plants.
What happens to the lap when you stand up?
The lap disappears when the person changes from a seated to a standing position.
Is lopping legal in all areas?
Some areas have regulations on tree lopping, especially for protected species or locations.
Is the lap a physical part of the body?
The lap is not a separate part but a space that exists when one is seated.
Do all plants benefit from lopping?
The benefit of lopping depends on the plant species and the manner in which it is done.
Can lopping change a plant's shape?
Yes, lopping is often used to shape plants and control their size.
Is sitting in someone's lap a universal sign of affection?
While culturally variable, sitting in someone's lap is generally a sign of affection or comfort in many cultures.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
