taps

American  

[taps] / tæps /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

1. 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.

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taps British  

/ tæps /

noun

1. 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

2. (in the Guide movement) a closing song sung at an evening camp fire or at the end of a meeting

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Etymology

Origin of taps

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

Example Sentences

The same suspect drops a $20 bill behind the victim, then taps them on the shoulder to alert them that they appear to have dropped some money.

From Los Angeles Times

Scottish Water said it had closed intake to a water treatment works which had been affected and warned people not to use water from their taps.

From BBC

Harbor Fund’s model for financing is rare, he said, though it taps into one of the big motivations for investors to fund movies and TV — social impact.

From Los Angeles Times

An overhaul of municipal water supply systems would address the "dysfunction" that had seen taps run dry in many towns and cities, he said, adding he would head a new National Water Crisis Committee.

From Barron's

It taps into viewers’ emotional connection to food, and a lifestyle they aspire to.

From The Wall Street Journal