soap opera

US: (op′ər ə, op′rə)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ˈsoap ˌop•er•a, n. [countable]

1. Show Business a radio or television series presenting the lives of many interconnected characters in an often melodramatic way.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

soap′ op′er•a  (op′ər ə, op′rə), 

1. Show Business a radio or television series depicting the interconnected lives of many characters often in a sentimental, melodramatic way.

• so called because soap manufacturers were among the original sponsors of such programs 1935–40, American.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

soap opera noun

1. a serialized drama, usually dealing with domestic themes and characterized by sentimentality, broadcast on radio or television

Etymology: 20th Century: so called because manufacturers of soap were typical sponsors