Synonyms

taps

American

[taps] / tæps /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

a signal by bugle or drum, sounded at night as an order to extinguish all lights, and sometimes performed as a postlude to a military funeral.

taps British

/ tæps /

noun

1. (in army camps, etc) a signal given on a bugle, drum, etc, indicating that lights are to be put out
2. any similar signal, as at a military funeral
(in the Guide movement) a closing song sung at an evening camp fire or at the end of a meeting

"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

Etymology

Origin of taps

1815–25, probably tap(too) , variant of tattoo ¹ + -s ³

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In 1981, he made his Broadway debut in the play "Heartland" and his movie debut that same year as a military cadet in "Taps."

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

Appeared in the September 5, 2025, print edition as 'JetBlue Taps Amazon’s Satellite Internet Venture'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 4, 2025

Taps would still have run and toilets still have flushed.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2025

Taps ran dry Wednesday and Thursday for almost a quarter of Jackson’s 52,000 water customers as icy conditions strained local infrastructure.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 19, 2024

Papa Taps his thumb Against the horn When he sees friends And their families Gathered around barbecues.

From "Neighborhood Odes" by Gary Soto

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023