tap

Plural: taps

Noun

• the sound made by a gentle blow
• a gentle blow
• a faucet for drawing water from a pipe or cask
• a small metal plate that attaches to the toe or heel of a shoe (as in tap dancing)
• a tool for cutting female (internal) screw threads
• a plug for a bunghole in a cask
• the act of tapping a telephone or telegraph line to get information
• a light touch or stroke
• A conical peg or pin used to close and open the hole or vent in a container.
• An object with a tapering conical form like a tap; specifically, ellipsis of taproot (“long, tapering root of a plant”).
• A hollow device used to control the flow of a fluid, such as an alcoholic beverage from a cask, or a gas or liquid in a pipe.
• To click on something usually a device.
• To click on something usually a device.
• Liquor drawn through a tap; hence, a certain kind or quality of liquor; also (figurative, informal), a certain kind or quality of any thing.
• To click on something usually a device.
• A device used to listen in secretly on telephone calls or other communications.
• To click on something usually a device.
• A secret interception of telephone calls or other communications using such a device; also, a recording of such a communication.
• To click on something usually a device.
• A situation where a borrowing government authority issues bonds over a period of time, usually at a fixed price, with volumes sold on a particular day dependent on market conditions.
• To click on something usually a device.
• A cylindrical tool used to cut an internal screw thread in a hole, with cutting edges around the lower end and an upper end to which a handle is fitted to turn the tool.
• To click on something usually a device.
• Ellipsis of taphouse or taproom (“place where alcoholic beverages are served on tap”).
• To click on something usually a device.
• A connection made to an electrical or fluid conductor without breaking it; a tapping.
• A light blow or strike with a clear sound; a gentle rap; a pat; also, the sound made by such a blow or strike.
• The smallest amount of work; a stroke of work.
• One of the metal pieces attached to the sole of a tap dancer's shoe at the toe and heel to cause a tapping sound.
• A shot fired from a firearm.
• An act of touching a button, icon, or specific location on the touch screen of an electronic device such as a mobile phone to invoke a function.
• A single muscle contraction in vocal organs causing a consonant sound; also, the sound so made.
• A piece of leather or other material fastened upon the bottom of an item of footwear when repairing the heel or sole; also (England, dialectal) the sole of an item of footwear.
• Ellipsis of tap dance.
• A malarial fever.

Verb

Verb Forms: tapped, tapping, taps

• To strike lightly and quickly; to draw off liquid.
• cut a female screw thread with a tap
• draw from or dip into to get something
  • "tap one's memory"
  • "tap a source of money"
• strike lightly
  • "He tapped me on the shoulder"
• draw from; make good use of
• tap a telephone or telegraph wire to get information
  • "The FBI was tapping the phone line of the suspected spy"
• furnish with a tap or spout, so as to be able to draw liquid from it
  • "tap a cask of wine"
• make light, repeated taps on a surface
  • "he was tapping his fingers on the table impatiently"
• walk with a tapping sound
• dance and make rhythmic clicking sounds by means of metal plates nailed to the sole of the dance shoes
  • "Glover tapdances better than anybody"
• draw (liquor) from a tap
  • "tap beer in a bar"
• pierce in order to draw a liquid from
  • "tap a maple tree for its syrup"
  • "tap a keg of beer"
• make a solicitation or entreaty for something; request urgently or persistently
• To furnish (a container, etc.) with a tap (noun sense 2.2) so that liquid can be drawn.
• To draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; also, to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source).
• To draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; also, to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source).
• To drain off fluid from (a person or a body cavity) by paracentesis.
• To break into or open up (a thing) so as to obtain something; to exploit, to penetrate; tap into.
• To deplete (something); to tap out.
• To ask or beg for (something) to be given for free; to cadge, to scrounge; also, to ask or beg (someone) to give something for free.
• To connect a listening and/or recording device to (a communication cable or device) in order to listen in secretly on telephone calls or other communications; also, to secretly listen in on and/or record (a telephone call or other communication).
• To turn over (a playing card or playing piece) to remind players that it has already been used in that round.
• To force (an opponent) to place all their poker chips in the pot (that is, to go all in) by wagering all of one's own chips.
• To remove a taproot from (a plant).
• To cut an internal screw thread in (a hole); also, to cut (an internal screw thread) in a hole, or to create an internally threaded hole in (something).
• To cut an external screw thread into (a bolt or rod) to create a screw.
• To put (a screw or other object) in or through another thing.
• To act as a tapster; to draw an alcoholic beverage from a container.
• To spend money, etc., freely.
• To strike (someone or something), chiefly lightly with a clear sound, but sometimes hard.
• To strike (someone or something), chiefly lightly with a clear sound, but sometimes hard.
• Also in the form tap on the shoulder: to arrest (someone).
• To strike (someone or something), chiefly lightly with a clear sound, but sometimes hard.
• To have sexual intercourse with (someone).
• To strike (someone or something), chiefly lightly with a clear sound, but sometimes hard.
• To shoot (someone or something) with a firearm.
• To (lightly) touch (a finger, foot, or other body part) on a surface, often repeatedly.
• To (lightly) touch (a finger, foot, or other body part) on a surface, often repeatedly.
• To lightly touch a touchscreen, usually an icon or button, to activate a function.
• To (lightly) touch (a finger, foot, or other body part) on a surface, often repeatedly.
• To lightly and repeatedly touch (a person or one or more body parts) as part of various forms of psychological treatment.
• To force (an opponent) to submit, chiefly by indicating their intention to do so by striking a hand on the ground several times; to tap out.
• To invoke a function on an electronic device such as a mobile phone by touching (a button, icon, or specific location on its touch screen).
• To repair (an item of footwear) by putting on a new heel or sole, or a piece of material on to the heel or sole.
• To choose or designate (someone) for a duty, an honour, membership of an organization, or a position.
• Often followed by at or on: to strike lightly with a clear sound; also, to make a sharp noise through this action.
• To walk by striking the ground lightly with a clear sound.
• Of a bell, a drum, etc.: to make a sharp noise, often as a signal.
• To submit to an opponent, chiefly by indicating an intention to do so by striking a hand on the ground several times; to tap out.
• Of a hare or rabbit: to strike the ground repeatedly with its feet during the rutting season.

Examples

• a liquor of the same tap
• bond tap    tap issue
• Businesses are trying to tap the youth market.
• He decided to "TAP" into the triple-word score with a short, effective word.
• He tapped on the Whatsapp icon on his phone.
• He tapped the ten-year-old whiskey from its barrel.
• He tried to tap cable television without a subscription.
• He was so nervous he began to tap his fingers on the table.
• He was tapped by the president to act as a special counsel.
• I tried to tap a cigarette off him, but he wouldn’t give me one.
• I would tap that hot girl over there.
• If we tap the maple trees, we can get maple syrup.
• Is the tap water here safe to drink?
• I’d tap that.
• She tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.
• Tap an M3 thread all the way through the hole.
• telephone tap
• The system was barely keeping pressure due to all of the ill-advised taps along its length.
• The tree was swaying in the breeze and tapping on the window pane.
• They can’t tap the phone without a warrant.
• to tap shoes
• We don’t have bottled water; you’ll have to get it from the tap.
• We drilled a hole and then cut the threads with the proper tap to match the valve’s thread.
• When Steve felt a tap on his shoulder, he turned around.
• You can pay by tapping your card.

Synonyms

beg, bug, dab, exploit, hydrant, intercept, knock, pat, pink, rap, solicit, spigot, strike, tapdance, tip, water faucet, water tap, wiretap, Any of Thesaurus:copulate + "with", Formal terms, Informal and slang terms, ball, bang, bar, barroom, baste, batter, bauf, be with, beat, bed, beep, belabor, blag, blow, boff, boink, bone, bonk, boom-boom, buffet, bum, butt, cadge, calcitrate, clap, cock, coit, coitize, dash, dick, diddle, dig out, dight, do, doink, dowse, drill, eavesdrop, eff, enjoy, expletive deleted, faucet, feague, feck, fetch one a blow, fill, flap, frack, frak, frick, frig, fuck, get into someone's pants, get over on, get up in, give someone one, give someone the time, give toco, go in unto, go to bed with, go with, hammer, handle, have, have one's way with, have one's wicked way with, heeltap, hit, hump, impact, jape, jerk, jump, jump someone's bones, kick, knob, knock off, know, know someone in the biblical sense, lay, leech, lie by, lie with, love, love up, lunge, make, mooch, mount, nail, occupy, patter, pelt, penetrate, ping, plip, plonk, plop, plough, plug, poke, pork, pound, prig, pummel, pump, punch, ream, rock, roger, root, run through, rut, sard, schlong, screw, scrounge, season, seduce, see to, service, shaft, shag, shelve, slam, slap, slay, sleep with, slip it to, smack, smash, smite, smush, spank, spile, sponge, spout, stallionize, stopcock, swap, swive, take, tap, thrash, thump, thwack, tup, vapulate, wap, whack, wheedle, whip, yerk

Antonyms

humming

Related Words

beep, snap, tapster