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

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 February 11, 2026, print edition as 'The Saudi Crown Prince Taps the Brakes'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

Taps in the city increasingly run dry due to a combination of crumbling infrastructure, a growing population and reservoirs emptying out due to climate change.

From BBC • Aug. 21, 2024

Last semester a bugle horn blared "Taps" inside my head after I assigned a review of "Kontemporary Amerikkan Poetry."

From Salon • Sep. 23, 2023

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

From "Neighborhood Odes" by Gary Soto