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
Previous research has tried zapping the tongue with electrical and thermal signals, and mixing in colored lights and scents to trick people into thinking a boring old glass of water was a customizable cocktail.
—
Michael Irving, New Atlas, 3 Mar. 2025
Instead the robbers zapped him in the eyes with pepper spray, and punched and kicked him in the face multiple times.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2025
Your phone and notifications are running your life, zapping your focus and stealing your energy.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
Plus, the brain has immune cells working overtime to zap any potentially harmful invaders.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, WIRED, 5 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zap
Michael Irving, New Atlas, 3 Mar. 2025
Instead the robbers zapped him in the eyes with pepper spray, and punched and kicked him in the face multiple times.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2025
Your phone and notifications are running your life, zapping your focus and stealing your energy.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
Plus, the brain has immune cells working overtime to zap any potentially harmful invaders.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, WIRED, 5 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zap
Verb
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Joshua Hur hit a home run, Trey Ebel had a two-run double and Ethan Bingaman contributed an RBI triple.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2025
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The left-handed hitting Baldwin is listed by fangraphs.com to hit 7th in the Braves starting lineup.—
Bernie Pleskoff,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Steel was then penalized for knocking Pickard late in the third.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
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After a village Electoral Board ruling knocked Tinley Together off the ballot, a Cook County Circuit Court judge, in early January, reversed that ruling.—
Mike Nolan,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Jordan Hicks pitched an efficient five-plus innings, Tyler Fitzgerald smacked a two-run homer and scored a run, and the Giants beat the Tigers, 4-3.—
Evan Webeck,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2025
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In actuality, everything — unbeknownst to him — was ridiculously staged in a pitch-perfect reality TV parody, as comedy improv actors like David Hornsby and pre-Saturday Night Live Kristen Wiig would put Gould smack dab in the middle of absurd situation after absurd situation.—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The short answer: President Trump and his insistence on slapping tariffs on key trading partners, including Canada, Mexico and China.—
Russ Wiles,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2025
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But that all changed in December, when Trump first threatened to slap heavy tariffs on his northern neighbor.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The last Sweet 16 tickets will be punched on Sunday, with second-round tourney action starting around noon Eastern and concluding shortly before midnight.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
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How to Watch Wofford Terriers vs Tennessee Volunteers: Date: Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025 Time: 6:50 PM ET Channel: TNT Stream: Sling (watch) Wofford punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament with a 92-85 win over Furman in the Southern Conference Championship game.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But Isaiah Jackson’s runner in the lane banged off the back iron and the Red Raiders were on the go.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
23 Mar. 2025
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But for those banging the drum to get Tad out to pasture, remember: The grass isn’t always greener.—
Sean Keeler,
The Denver Post,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Eight years ago, tech billionaire Jeff Skoll clapped enthusiastically as Al Gore assuaged the opening-night Sundance crowd just hours before Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
19 Mar. 2025
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And the plan to stand and clap for nothing — including a mother whose daughter was brutally murdered, a boy who survived cancer, law enforcement, and the capture of an ISIS terrorist mastermind — was a truly shameful and terrible one.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Right now, Trump and Congress could whack Medicaid and give Newsom a solid rationale for cutting way back on healthcare for undocumented Californians.—
George Skelton,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2025
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Alas, the thick-headed goon that Vito sends to whack Frank in the lobby of his lux Manhattan apartment building (a swollen and unrecognizable Cosmo Jarvis as the aptly named Vincent Gigante) fails to follow through with a double-tap, and Frank survives with a scratch to the head.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
19 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Zap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zap. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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