Soap vs. Detergent

Soapnoun

(uncountable) a substance able to mix with both oil and water, used for cleaning, often in the form of a solid bar or in liquid form, derived from fats or made synthetically

Soapnoun

(chemistry) a metallic salt derived from a fatty acid

Soapnoun

a flattery or excessively complacent conversation

Soapnoun

(slang) money, specially when used for bribing purposes

Soapnoun

A soap opera.

Soapverb

(transitive) To apply soap to in washing.

Soapverb

To cover, lather or in any other form treat with soap, often as a prank.

Soapverb

To be discreet about (a topic).

Soapverb

To flatter; to wheedle.

Soapnoun

A substance which dissolves in water, thus forming a lather, and is used as a cleansing agent. Soap is produced by combining fats or oils with alkalies or alkaline earths, usually by boiling, and consists of salts of sodium, potassium, etc., with the fatty acids (oleic, stearic, palmitic, etc.). See the Note below, and cf. Saponification. By extension, any compound of similar composition or properties, whether used as a cleaning agent or not.

Soapverb

To rub or wash over with soap.

Soapverb

To flatter; to wheedle.

Soapnoun

a cleansing agent made from the salts of vegetable or animal fats

Soapnoun

money offered as a bribe

Soapnoun

street names for gamma hydroxybutyrate

Soapverb

rub soap all over, usually with the purpose of cleaning

Soap

Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping.

Detergentnoun

Any non-soap cleaning agent, especially a synthetic surfactant.

Detergentadjective

Having the power to clean.

Detergentadjective

Cleansing; purging.

Detergentnoun

a surface-active chemical widely used in industry and laundering

Detergentnoun

a cleansing agent that differs from soap but can also emulsify oils and hold dirt in suspension

Detergentadjective

having cleansing power

Detergentnoun

a water-soluble cleansing agent which combines with impurities and dirt to make them more soluble, and differs from soap in not forming a scum with the salts in hard water

Detergentnoun

any additive with a similar action to a detergent, e.g. an oil-soluble substance which holds dirt in suspension in lubricating oil.

Detergentadjective

relating to detergents or their action

Detergent

A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleansing properties in dilute solutions. These substances are usually alkylbenzene sulfonates, a family of compounds that are similar to soap but are more soluble in hard water, because the polar sulfonate (of detergents) is less likely than the polar carboxylate (of soap) to bind to calcium and other ions found in hard water.