From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsoap operaˈsoap ˌopera ●○○ noun [countable] AMTa television or radio story about the daily lives and relationships of the same group of people, which is broadcast regularly
Examples from the Corpus
soap opera• I was in a soap opera for a while where I was the nicest guy in the world.• Yes, this is a soap opera.• She looks very much like Crilly, though her hair is cut and tinted like a soap opera actress.• The stupid sexist comments of the blokes with whom and for whom she worked merely provided an entertaining soap opera wallpaper.• Career Girls never devolves into soap opera, but remains a focused, complex portrayal of a friendship.• Glossy, high-powered soap opera about four black professional women helping one another through a bad year in Phoenix.• In this way the Jordache pair transcended their soap opera status.Origin soap opera (1900-2000) Because they were originally sponsored by soap-making companies 