tap

¹ American  

[tap] / tæp /

verb (used with object)

tapped, tapping

1. to strike with a light but audible blow or blows; hit with repeated, slight blows.

   He tapped the door twice.

2. to make, put, etc., by tapping.

   She tapped a nail into the wall to hang a picture.

3. to strike (the fingers, a foot, a pencil, etc.) upon or against something, especially with repeated light blows.

   Stop tapping your feet!

4. Basketball. to strike (a ball in the air) in the direction of a teammate or of the basket.

5. Digital Technology.

   1. 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.

   2. to enter (data) by tapping on a keyboard.

      For a breathless instant her capable fingers tapped codes into the company server.

6. 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.

7. to add a thickness of leather to the sole or heel of (a boot or shoe), as in repairing.

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verb (used without object)

tapped, tapping

1. to strike lightly but audibly, as to attract attention (usually followed by on oragainst ).

   The prisoners communicated by tapping on their cell walls.

   The teacher tapped on the blackboard to indicate that the time was up.

2. to strike light blows.

   The geologist stopped tapping with her hammer to examine a bit of rock under a magnifying glass.

3. to type or enter information on a keyboard.

   He tapped away at his computer without looking up.

4. to perform a tap dance.

noun

1. a light, sometimes audible blow.

   I felt a tap on my shoulder.

2. the sound made by this.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. a thickness of leather added to the sole or heel of a boot or shoe, as in repairing.

verb phrase

1. tap out

   1. (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.

   2. 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.

   3. 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.

   4. to type or enter on a keyboard.

      He used to tap out his weekly column on an old Olivetti.

   5. to remove by tapping.

      All air bubbles should be tapped out before clamping the end of the tube.

tap ² American  

[tap] / tæp /

noun

1. a cylindrical stick, long plug, or stopper for closing an opening through which liquid is drawn, as in a cask; spigot.

2. a faucet or cock.

3. the liquor drawn through a particular tap.

4. British. a taphouse or taproom.

5. a tool for cutting screw threads into the cylindrical surface of a round opening.

6. Surgery. the withdrawal of fluid.

   spinal tap.

7. a hole made in tapping, as one in a pipe to furnish connection for a branch pipe.

8. Electricity. a connection brought out of a winding at some point between its extremities, for controlling the voltage ratio.

9. Informal. an act or instance of wiretapping.

10. Archaic. a particular kind or quality of drink.

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verb (used with object)

tapped, tapping

1. to draw liquid from (a vessel or container).

2. to draw off (liquid) by removing or opening a tap or by piercing a container.

3. to draw the tap or plug from or pierce (a cask or other container).

4. 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.

5. to connect into secretly so as to receive the message or signal being transmitted (sometimes used withinto ): Here’s how to tell if your neighbor is tapping into your cable service.

   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.

6. 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.

7. to furnish (a cask, container, pipe, etc.) with a tap.

8. to cut a screw thread into the surface of (an opening).

9. to open outlets from (power lines, highways, pipes, etc.).

verb phrase

1. tap off to remove (liquid, molten metal, etc.) from a keg, furnace, or the like.

   to tap off slag from a blast furnace.

2. tap out

   1. 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.

   2. to drain or exhaust the resources of (usually used in the passive and often followed byof ).

      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.

3. tap into

   1. to draw on or bring into play.

      You can overcome many obstacles if you just tap into the strength and skills you already possess!

   2. to access and make profitable use of.

      We are well placed to help clients tap into these emerging opportunities.

idioms

1. be tapped into, to be closely connected with or attuned to.

   He’s pretty tapped into his followers on social media.

   Her music is at its best when she’s tapped into her Trinidadian roots.

2. on tap,

   1. ready to be drawn and served, as liquor from a cask.

   2. furnished with a tap or cock, as a barrel containing liquor.

   3. Informal. ready for immediate use; available.

      There are numerous other projects on tap.

tap ¹ British  

/ tæp /

noun

1. US and Canadian name: faucet. a valve by which a fluid flow from a pipe can be controlled by opening and closing an orifice

2. a stopper to plug a cask or barrel and enable the contents to be drawn out in a controlled flow

3. a particular quality of alcoholic drink, esp when contained in casks

   an excellent tap

4. short for taproom

5. the surgical withdrawal of fluid from a bodily cavity

   a spinal tap

6. 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

7. Usual Brit name: tapping. electronics a connection made at some point between the end terminals of an inductor, resistor, or some other component

8. stock exchange

   1. an issue of a government security released slowly onto the market when its market price reaches a predetermined level

   2. ( as modifier )

      tap stock

      tap issue

9. a concealed listening or recording device connected to a telephone or telegraph wire for the purpose of obtaining information secretly

10. 1. informal ready for immediate use

    2. (of drinks) on draught

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verb

1. to furnish with a tap

2. to draw off with or as if with a tap

3. to cut into (a tree) and draw off sap from it

4. informal to ask or beg (someone) for money

   he tapped me for a fiver

5. 1. to connect a tap to (a telephone or telegraph wire)

   2. to listen in secret to (a telephone message, etc) by means of a tap

6. to make a connection to (a pipe, drain, etc)

7. to cut a female screw thread in (an object or material) by use of a tap

8. to withdraw (fluid) from (a bodily cavity)

9. informal (of a sports team or an employer) to make an illicit attempt to recruit (a player or employee bound by an existing contract)

tap ² British  

/ tæp /

verb

1. to strike (something) lightly and usually repeatedly

   to tap the table

   to tap on the table

2. (tr) to produce by striking in this way

   to tap a rhythm

3. (tr) to strike lightly with (something)

   to tap one's finger on the desk

4. (intr) to walk with a tapping sound

   she tapped across the floor

5. (tr) to attach metal or leather reinforcing pieces to (the toe or heel of a shoe)

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noun

1. a light blow or knock, or the sound made by it

2. the metal piece attached to the toe or heel of a shoe used for tap-dancing

3. short for tap-dancing See tap-dancing

4. 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

tap ³ British  

/ tæp /

noun

1. a Scot word for top 1

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tap More Idioms  

1. see on tap.

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Other Word Forms

• tappable
  adjective
• untappable
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of tap¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb tappen, tap, probably imitative; noun derivative of the verb

Origin of tap²

First recorded before 1050; Middle English noun tap(pe), tape, Old English tæppa “tapered plug used as a stopper for a cask”; cognate with Dutch tap, Old High German zapfo, Old Norse tappi; Middle English verb tappen, Old English tæppian; cognate with Middle Low German, Middle Dutch tappen, German zapfen, Old Norse tappa

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Explanation

To tap is to lightly hit something, the way you tap your friend on the shoulder to get her attention or tap your foot against the floor when you're listening to music. Your fingers tap the keyboard when you write an essay, and if you take tap dancing lessons, you'll spend time tapping your toes in tap shoes. Another kind of tap is a spigot that liquid or gas flows from, or the secret listening device a spy might use. As a verb, it can also mean "make use of," the way you tap into your sister's jar of change when you need an extra dollar or two.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tap tapped tapping

One of the new CEO’s first moves was to tap Sühlmann from McLaren and ask him for ideas for what a Porsche supercar could look like.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Ross Barkley's double and Tammy Abraham's late tap in added to the visitors' woes and underlined Villa's dominance.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

He wrote that capital spending on AI has outpaced free-cash-flow generation, meaning that companies have needed to tap external financing for hardware purchases.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

The blistering heat that has baked Southern California for days is coming to an end, with rain on tap for the weekend and early next week, along with a risk of potentially damaging coastal flooding.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

Next thing I know, I’m on my desktop, tap dancing and yelling, “Get ’im off me!

From "Fourth Grade Rats" by Jerry Spinelli

The woman sighed, tapped her screen with a fingernail and said, “It’s right there.”

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

Momentum built around the movement which tapped into anger over unemployment, exam paper leaks and government accountability.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

The musicians were smiling, the spectators tapped and clapped, and that magical sense of timelessness was real, spanning multiple generations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

Keurig Dr Pepper previously tapped Sudhanshu Priyadarshi and Rafael Oliveira for the role, but both executives left the company.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Owen and George tapped fists, and Owen beamed.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

“I think we’re really tapping into that desire to be hyperlocal, hyper-real and connected.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

I traipsed down corridors full of smart young people tapping away at their computers, seemingly doing things.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

At Thatcham Research's headquarters, we are shown a device hidden within a wireless speaker that can start a car by tapping into its internal communication system.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

We meet Mona in media res, nervously tapping her shoes on the carpeted lobby floor and fretting over her audition.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

The spirit circles were resumed, and participants in both rooms heard tapping, “similar to the sounds heard in the telegraph office.”

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

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