tap
1to strike with a light but audible blow or blows; hit with repeated, slight blows: He tapped the door twice.
to make, put, etc., by tapping: She tapped a nail into the wall to hang a picture.
to strike (the fingers, a foot, a pencil, etc.) upon or against something, especially with repeated light blows: Stop tapping your feet!
Basketball. to strike (a ball in the air) in the direction of a teammate or of the basket.
Digital Technology.
to make a selection or enter information on a touchscreen by tapping (a button, icon, or the like): To return to the previous page, tap the back arrow at the bottom of the screen.
to enter (data) by tapping on a keyboard: For a breathless instant her capable fingers tapped codes into the company server.
to recruit, appoint, or select for a particular role or task: After he’d cooked there for 20 years, the restaurant owner finally tapped him for chef.
to add a thickness of leather to the sole or heel of (a boot or shoe), as in repairing.
to strike lightly but audibly, as to attract attention (usually followed by on or against): The prisoners communicated by tapping on their cell walls.The teacher tapped on the blackboard to indicate that the time was up.
to strike light blows: The geologist stopped tapping with her hammer to examine a bit of rock under a magnifying glass.
to type or enter information on a keyboard: He tapped away at his computer without looking up.
to perform a tap dance.
a light, sometimes audible blow: I felt a tap on my shoulder.
the sound made by this.
a piece of metal attached to the toe or heel of a shoe, as for reinforcement or for making the tapping of a dancer more audible.
Basketball. an act or instance of tapping the ball: Hanson got the tap from our center, who, 6′9″ tall, couldn't lose a jump ball.
a thickness of leather added to the sole or heel of a boot or shoe, as in repairing.
tap out,
(in wrestling, karate, or the like) to acknowledge defeat by tapping on the mat: Finally, trapped in the chokehold, he was forced to tap out for the first time in his career.
to concede or withdraw from an undertaking one feels unable to continue; quit: The owners have tapped out of the company after nearly 16 years, although they'll retain a minority interest.
to produce by means of a series of taps: She tapped out the drum rhythm on the table.The pilot tapped out a signal in Morse code.
to type or enter on a keyboard: He used to tap out his weekly column on an old Olivetti.
to remove by tapping: All air bubbles should be tapped out before clamping the end of the tube.
Origin of tap
1Other words from tap
- tap·pa·ble, adjective
- un·tap·pa·ble, adjective
Other definitions for tap (2 of 2)
a cylindrical stick, long plug, or stopper for closing an opening through which liquid is drawn, as in a cask; spigot.
the liquor drawn through a particular tap.
a tool for cutting screw threads into the cylindrical surface of a round opening.
Surgery. the withdrawal of fluid: spinal tap.
a hole made in tapping, as one in a pipe to furnish connection for a branch pipe.
Electricity. a connection brought out of a winding at some point between its extremities, for controlling the voltage ratio.
Informal. an act or instance of wiretapping.
Archaic. a particular kind or quality of drink.
to draw liquid from (a vessel or container).
to draw off (liquid) by removing or opening a tap or by piercing a container.
to draw the tap or plug from or pierce (a cask or other container).
to penetrate, open up, reach into, etc., for the purpose of using something or drawing something off; begin to use: to tap one's resources.
to connect into secretly so as to receive the message or signal being transmitted (sometimes used with into): Authorities tapped his phone line, suspecting that he was a spy.Here’s how to tell if your neighbor is tapping into your cable service.
to obtain money or other resources from: Before attempting the project we tapped her for some quick tips on common mistakes to avoid.He finally decided to tap his father for a loan.
to furnish (a cask, container, pipe, etc.) with a tap.
to cut a screw thread into the surface of (an opening).
to open outlets from (power lines, highways, pipes, etc.).
tap into, Informal.
to draw on or bring into play: You can overcome many obstacles if you just tap into the strength and skills you already possess!
to access and make profitable use of: We are well placed to help clients tap into these emerging opportunities.
tap off, to remove (liquid, molten metal, etc.) from a keg, furnace, or the like: to tap off slag from a blast furnace.
tap out,
to exhaust or use up the supply of: If we overfish the oceans, we will tap out the resources our ancestors have relied on for thousands of years.
to drain or exhaust the resources of (usually used in the passive and often followed by of): When the recession hit, we were tapped out and deeply in debt.Sorry I can’t contribute much here—I’m all tapped out of ideas.
Origin of tap
2Other words from tap
- tap·pa·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use tap in a sentence
Researchers came up with this number by drawing on previous studies that had surveyed plastic pieces in tap and bottled water and in certain food items, such as fish, sugar, salt and alcohol.
Plastics are showing up in the world’s most remote places, including Mount Everest | Carolyn Wilke | November 20, 2020 | Science NewsMust-pass bills such as the yearly Pentagon authorization and extension of federal spending authority are also on tap for the coming weeks, though those measures are likely to be less divisive, making senators’ absences less damaging.
Virus threat reaches into halls of Congress, clouding Senate agenda | Mike DeBonis, Seung Min Kim, Karoun Demirjian | November 19, 2020 | Washington PostJust go to Topics and tap Election 2020 to find the mobile election hub.
Follow along as battleground states tally presidential votes | John Kennedy | November 5, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThe big sales pitch for this bulkier, round watch is a rotating bezel that can be used to spin through options and menus in Samsung’s Tizen software, instead of just relying on side buttons and taps on the screen for controls like rival devices.
Summoned with a tap, they’ve crowded out pedal-pushers in the bike lanes, and even displaced cars and trucks from many local streets.
The Self-Driving Car Is a Red Herring - Issue 92: Frontiers | Anthony Townsend | October 21, 2020 | Nautilus
Ira Glass eventually tapped the up-and-comers to be the in-house band for This American Life.
OK Go Is Helping Redefine the Music Video For the Internet Age | Lauren Schwartzberg | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThis week Secretary of State John Kerry tapped Nancy Powell, former ambassador to India, to lead the Ebola Coordination Unit.
Israel tapped her to bring down the masterminds behind the 1972 Olympic massacre.
Mossad’s Greatest Female Assassin: An Excerpt From ‘Sylvia Rafael’ | Ram Oren, Moti Kfir | September 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey compared outfits, loudly greeted friends, tapped on their iPhones.
The Drama of Being a Model: Spike Jonze and Jonah Hill Land in Fashion Week | Allison McNearney | September 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTJudge Bert Richardson, a Republican appointee of President George W. Bush, tapped McCrum to investigate a case against Perry.
With her little satin shoe she tapped the carpet, biting her under lip and seeming to be listening.
Dope | Sax RohmerTwo dollars and a half an acre was finally offered, and then Johnnie leaned forward and tapped with his finger on his desk.
Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington KellandA gentleman sitting behind me tapped me on the back and asked for a light.
Little Travels and Roadside Sketches | William Makepeace ThackerayOld Sanders tapped with both hands on his shining cranium and asked, Are you confident he loves her?
The Fifth String | John Philip SousaAnd old Sanders again tapped in the rhythm of a dirge on his parchment-bound cranium.
The Fifth String | John Philip Sousa
British Dictionary definitions for tap (1 of 3)
/ (tæp) /
to strike (something) lightly and usually repeatedly: to tap the table; to tap on the table
(tr) to produce by striking in this way: to tap a rhythm
(tr) to strike lightly with (something): to tap one's finger on the desk
(intr) to walk with a tapping sound: she tapped across the floor
(tr) to attach metal or leather reinforcing pieces to (the toe or heel of a shoe)
a light blow or knock, or the sound made by it
the metal piece attached to the toe or heel of a shoe used for tap-dancing
short for tap-dancing: See tap-dancing
phonetics the contact made between the tip of the tongue and the alveolar ridge as the tongue is flicked upwards in the execution of a flap or vibrates rapidly in the execution of a trill or roll
Origin of tap
1- See also taps
Derived forms of tap
- tappable, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for tap (2 of 3)
/ (tæp) /
a valve by which a fluid flow from a pipe can be controlled by opening and closing an orifice: US and Canadian name: faucet
a stopper to plug a cask or barrel and enable the contents to be drawn out in a controlled flow
a particular quality of alcoholic drink, esp when contained in casks: an excellent tap
British short for taproom
the surgical withdrawal of fluid from a bodily cavity: a spinal tap
Also called: screw tap a tool for cutting female screw threads, consisting of a threaded steel cylinder with longitudinal grooves forming cutting edges: Compare die 2 (def. 2)
electronics, mainly US and Canadian a connection made at some point between the end terminals of an inductor, resistor, or some other component: Usual Brit name: tapping
stock exchange
an issue of a government security released slowly onto the market when its market price reaches a predetermined level
(as modifier): tap stock; tap issue
a concealed listening or recording device connected to a telephone or telegraph wire for the purpose of obtaining information secretly
on tap
informal ready for immediate use
(of drinks) on draught
to furnish with a tap
to draw off with or as if with a tap
to cut into (a tree) and draw off sap from it
British informal to ask or beg (someone) for money: he tapped me for a fiver
to connect a tap to (a telephone or telegraph wire)
to listen in secret to (a telephone message, etc) by means of a tap
to make a connection to (a pipe, drain, etc)
to cut a female screw thread in (an object or material) by use of a tap
to withdraw (fluid) from (a bodily cavity)
informal (of a sports team or an employer) to make an illicit attempt to recruit (a player or employee bound by an existing contract)
Origin of tap
2Derived forms of tap
- tappable, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for tap (3 of 3)
/ (tæp) /
a Scot word for top 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with tap
see on tap.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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