zap
to bombard with electrical current, radiation, laser beams, etc.: The military has unsuccessfully tried using airborne lasers to zap missiles early in their flight.
to attack, defeat, kill, or destroy with sudden speed and force: Late frost can zap tender fruit buds.Real magic is not about wizards zapping each other with spells.
to cook or heat in a microwave oven: This coffee is almost cold—could you zap it for 30 seconds?
to shoot or send rapidly: If you're in the neighborhood, zap me a text and come by!Some of his more complex arguments were not easy to zap into a sound bite.
to skip over or delete (commercials on TV or radio) in recording or playing back a program: Digital recorders able to zap commercials made things harder for the advertising industry.
to move quickly, forcefully, or destructively: Thoughts are like electric currents zapping through your mind. It used to be my childhood dream to zap around in a fast car like that.
a jolt or charge of or as if of electricity: A wire shorted out and he got a zap from his microphone. These fresh-cut fries have a hint of zesty lime and a zap of tequila.
an act or period of microwaving: We sell prepackaged foods that require only a zap in the microwave to make them table-ready.
a forceful and sudden blow, hit, or attack: This game character can kill minions and goblins with a zap even after he dies.
any method of political activism, usually of a disruptive nature: A gay rights group organized a zap of the restaurant to push for removal of its offensive sign.
force, energy, or drive; zip: Their stew is a bit dull, but the steak chili soup packs much more zap and one heck of a lot of meat.
zap up, to add a sudden infusion of energy, verve, color, attractiveness, or the like: This bright skirt is just the thing to zap up your spring wardrobe.
Origin of zap
1Other words from zap
- zap·per, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use zap in a sentence
Suddenly, laser zaps to your brain make you think you’ve already reached the goal location of the quest.
How Do We Remember Places? This Study Used Lasers and VR to Point the Way | Shelly Fan | November 10, 2020 | Singularity HubThis perfect persona Lopez has created has zapped her of much of her relatability, especially in her music.
Jennifer Lopez’s ‘A.K.A.’ Is Terrible. What Happened to Her Music? | Kevin Fallon | June 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe Avengers zapped the school with a marching band, with the women singing “Oh when the dykes come marching in.”
Tick-Tock: The Explosive Power of the Lesbian Avengers | Tim Teeman | March 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTUsually, it is Republicans who get zapped by stepping on the “third rail” of Social Security.
Barack Obama’s Herbert Hoover Budget a Political Boon for Republicans | Lloyd Green | April 12, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTA boy named Andy Maguire is zapped with high-energy “Parker Particles,” and a new hero is born—Alpha.
Most can be removed surgically, or zapped with an intense blast of radiation to stop their growth.
Sheryl Crow’s Meningioma, an Exceedingly Common Brain Tumor | Daniel Stone | June 6, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
British Dictionary definitions for zap
/ (zæp) slang /
(tr) to attack, kill, or destroy, as with a sudden bombardment
(intr) to move quickly; rush
(tr) computing
to clear from the screen
to erase
(intr) television to change channels rapidly by remote control
energy, vigour, or pep
an exclamation used to express sudden or swift action
Origin of zap
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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