zap

[ zap ]
/ zæp /
Informal.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR zap ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), zapped, zap·ping.

verb (used without object), zapped, zap·ping.

to move quickly, forcefully, or destructively: high-voltage currents zapping overhead.

noun

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON THESE WORDS FROM BROWN GIRL DREAMING!

Visualize yourself passing this quiz on words from Jacqueline Woodson’s exquisite verse novel “Brown Girl Dreaming,” and then take the quiz to prove you can do it! (Because you can.)
Question 1 of 10
What does “barren” mean?
a cylindrical wooden container with slightly bulging sides.
Worn down by dullness, tedious repetition.
unproductive; unfruitful
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of zap

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45; imitative

OTHER WORDS FROM zap

zapper, noun

Words nearby zap

Zanuck, Zanu PF, zany, Zanzibar, Zanzibari, zap, Zapata, Zapata, Emiliano, Zapata mustache, zapateado, zapateo
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to zap

kill, terminate, slaughter, exterminate, kill off

Example sentences from the Web for zap

British Dictionary definitions for zap

zap
/ (zæp) slang /

verb zaps, zapping or zapped

(tr) to attack, kill, or destroy, as with a sudden bombardment
(intr) to move quickly; rush
(tr) computing
  1. to clear from the screen
  2. to erase
(intr) television to change channels rapidly by remote control

noun

energy, vigour, or pep

interjection

an exclamation used to express sudden or swift action

Word Origin for zap

C20: of imitative origin
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