as in to hit
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
zapped the annoying bug with a swatter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of zap
Known only as The Man from the Future, Rockwell's character zaps back from the future and lands in a Norms diner, looking to assemble a dream team to stop the AI apocalypse.
—
Richard Edwards, Space.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Lasers that focus on zapping drones out of the sky.
—Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
Pest Problems Pests can zap the life out of any plant, particularly those that are already struggling.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026
That, paired with a mechanical issue that zapped his pull-side power and created more pop-ups, were a nasty combo for a first baseman expected to slug.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for zap
Richard Edwards, Space.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Lasers that focus on zapping drones out of the sky.
—Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
Pest Problems Pests can zap the life out of any plant, particularly those that are already struggling.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026
That, paired with a mechanical issue that zapped his pull-side power and created more pop-ups, were a nasty combo for a first baseman expected to slug.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for zap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zap
Verb
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Crow-Armstrong had support from his team during Friday’s news conference, where first baseman Michael Busch, manager Craig Counsell, hitting coach Dustin Kelly, assistant hitting coach John Mallee and staff assistant AJ Lewis took in the scene.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
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Alcantara left the mound with a lead, courtesy of the bottom of Miami’s lineup stringing together hits in the second.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Remember, as little as 6 inches of moving water can knock you off your feet.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
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About 2 minutes and 40 seconds into the fight, Grasso drilled Barber in the head with a left hook, knocking her out.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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On Wednesday, the Braves had been in an 0-for-14 slump with runners in scoring position until Baldwin smacked a two-out single to left with the bases loaded in the second.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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Other incidents over the years have seen fans grab at Nikki Bella or actually smacking Alex Bliss on the backside as Nia Jax was carrying her over her shoulder from a previous segment.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Airlines across the region, like Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific are slapping hefty fuel surcharges on flights; Vietnam and the Philippines are even weighing whether to ground planes.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
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This month, the influential environmental group Conservation Colorado filed ballot measures with the state elections office that would slap stricter penalties on the energy industry for the pollution and contamination that result from its operations.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Rockets are a team that lost its starting point guard (Fred VanVleet) at the start of the year while the Knicks brought back and built upon the exact same core that punched the franchise’s first ticket to the conference finals in the last quarter-century.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
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Manning allegedly punched and kicked Hartman in the face and torso, scratched her, choked her and grabbed her by the hair and slammed her against the floor and wall.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The 14ers banged drums and danced like no one was watching.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
29 Mar. 2026
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People fed up with rolling blackouts have staged sporadic protests in recent days, banging pots and shouting slogans against the government, rare demonstrations in a country known for repressing dissent.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The arena clapped and cheered for their new archbishop.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
26 Mar. 2026
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A lot of the percussion in the score, in fact, is the Wells Cathedral school kids clapping and stomping.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Thus, the bases were empty when Abreu whacked a double off the wall in left-center, a few feet too short of a second home run.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
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With runners on the corners, Martinez whacks a two-run, RBI double to tie it at five.—
Zoe Collins Rath,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Zap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zap. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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