as in to hit
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
zapped the annoying bug with a swatter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of zap
Microwave the bowl for 20 seconds—your brown sugar should be much softer thanks to the moisture in the paper towel (and if not, add a little more water to the disposable sheet and zap again).
—
Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 23 Feb. 2025
And the report wasn’t strong enough to mitigate all the tariff turmoil, which is zapping confidence that investments today will be worth more down the line.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 7 Mar. 2025
Previous research has tried zapping the tongue with electrical and thermal signals, and mixing in colored lights and scents to trick people into thinking a boring old glass of water was a customizable cocktail.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 3 Mar. 2025
Instead the robbers zapped him in the eyes with pepper spray, and punched and kicked him in the face multiple times.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zap
Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 23 Feb. 2025
And the report wasn’t strong enough to mitigate all the tariff turmoil, which is zapping confidence that investments today will be worth more down the line.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 7 Mar. 2025
Previous research has tried zapping the tongue with electrical and thermal signals, and mixing in colored lights and scents to trick people into thinking a boring old glass of water was a customizable cocktail.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 3 Mar. 2025
Instead the robbers zapped him in the eyes with pepper spray, and punched and kicked him in the face multiple times.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zap
Verb
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Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2025
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In the Season 5 finale, June was deliberately hit and run over by a car bearing the Gilead symbol.—
Abigail Lee,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The American League East, almost always led in spending by the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, now has another club knocking at the vault door.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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You could be struck by falling debris or knocked to the ground.—
Maya Wei-Haas,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Pennsylvania’s drift to the right was the fourth largest of the seven, smack in the middle.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
4 Apr. 2025
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Still, the Yankees managed to make things interesting in the ninth inning, as Volpe smacked a three-run homer off Arizona lefty A.J. Puk to cut the deficit to one.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The conversation between the Beijing administration and the EU chief takes place after Washington last Wednesday slapped China and the EU with reciprocal tariffs of 34% and 20%, respectively.—
Dan Mangan,Kevin Breuninger,John Melloy,Ruxandra Iordache,Christina Wilkie,Erin Doherty,
CNBC,
8 Apr. 2025
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That proved a terrible bet for the Ukrainians, since the likelihood of Putin entering peace talks when tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers were occupying a piece of Mother Russia was about as low as the S&P 500 doubling in value after Trump slapped tariffs on everybody.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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On April 25, 2000, Acosta, 49, was abducted by Michael Tanzi, a 23-year-old Massachusetts drifter who asked Acosta for a cigarette, punched her and threw her into her Plymouth Voyager van.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2025
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The Texas high school soccer UIL state semifinals are here, and several Fort Worth-area teams are looking to punch their tickets to a state championship.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Current world championship leader Lando Norris has typically celebrated his podiums by banging the base of the bottle on the step of the podium, causing the champagne to shoot upward into the sky.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
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The real world is where a middle-aged law-firm associate just banged the hotel bandit.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The footage then cuts to the other guests of the show still hugging, clapping, and chatting on stage.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2025
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In 2001, at the age of 12, they were appalled that their classmates clapped at the Sept. 11 terrorism attacks.—
Li Yuan,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Right now, Trump and Congress could whack Medicaid and give Newsom a solid rationale for cutting way back on healthcare for undocumented Californians.—
George Skelton,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2025
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Alas, the thick-headed goon that Vito sends to whack Frank in the lobby of his lux Manhattan apartment building (a swollen and unrecognizable Cosmo Jarvis as the aptly named Vincent Gigante) fails to follow through with a double-tap, and Frank survives with a scratch to the head.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
19 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Zap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zap. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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