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Glite Dictionary
to lap up

to lap up

2 3.8
To drink water or milk by licking it with the tongue again and again
  • phrasal verb
  • /læp ʌp/
translation icon : lamer
  • After finishing its meal, the cat went to the bowl and lapped up the remaining milk.
  • lap up the water
  • lapping up milk

Examples

  • Dixie sniffed her bowl, and in no time at all, she'd lapped it up.

    Blog text (22)

  • The kitten ran to the saucer and began lapping it up, her tail erect and quivering with pleasure.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Then he gets down on his stomach and laps up the water with his tongue.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Left inside is a swallow or two, which Chuck laps up eagerly.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • They lap it up from the table's surface like thirsty kittens at bowls of cream.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The toxin has been linked to the deaths of flamingos in Africa, and experts say it can kill pets and livestock that lap up tainted water.

    Blog text (3)

  • The dog eagerly lapped up the water after a long run.

  • She watched as her puppy lapped up the spilled juice from the floor.

Synonyms

to drink
vsto lap up
∞ 1.0

To put liquid into the mouth and swallow it

is the animal tongue method rather than the general act of taking liquid
to swallow
vsto lap up
295 1.0

To make food or drink move from the mouth into the stomach

focuses on tongue uptake rather than the movement down the throat
to sip
vsto lap up
127 1.0

To drink a small amount at a time, usually slowly

focuses on tongue uptake with repeated tiny movements rather than slow mouthfuls
to drink up
vsto lap up
  • Informal
31 1.4

To finish all the liquid in a cup or bottle so nothing is left

is a repeated small tongue action rather than finishing all the liquid at once
to suck up
vsto lap up
22 4.3

To take in liquid or information

is a specific animal tongue action, not a broad literal or figurative absorption
to lap
vsto lap up
11 5.4

To drink liquid with the tongue

is the same action but usually done in repeated small tongue movements
to sup
vsto lap up
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To take small amounts of liquid or soft food into the mouth slowly

uses tongue uptake rather than taking small amounts with a spoon

How Fast

to gulp
26 2.9
to slurp
22 4.8
to lap up
2 3.8
to sip
127 1.0

Surface Forms

lap up infinitive
lapped up past
lapped up past participle
lapping up present participle
laps up third person singular

Morphology

lap + up

The meaning is directly derivable from 'lap' (to take liquid into the mouth with the tongue) combined with the particle 'up' signalling completion or thoroughness, so a learner who knows both words will readily infer the sense. This is a straightforward verb+particle composition common in English and cross-linguistically paralleled, making it transparently interpretable to B1 learners.

Etymology

Lap up comes from the way animals drink: they use their tongue to lick water again and again, literally laping it up into their mouths. So it means 'to drink' in that quick, repeated way.