zap

[ zap ]

verb (used with object)

, zapped, zap·ping.

1. to bombard with electrical current, radiation, laser beams, etc.:

   The military has unsuccessfully tried using airborne lasers to zap missiles early in their flight.

2. to attack, defeat, kill, or destroy with sudden speed and force:

   Late frost can zap tender fruit buds.

   Real magic is not about wizards zapping each other with spells.

3. to cook or heat in a microwave oven:

   This coffee is almost cold—could you zap it for 30 seconds?

4. to shoot or send rapidly:

   If you're in the neighborhood, zap me a text and come by!

   Some of his more complex arguments were not easy to zap into a sound bite.

5. to skip over or delete (commercials on TV or radio) in recording or playing back a program:

   Digital recorders able to zap commercials made things harder for the advertising industry.

verb (used without object)

, zapped, zap·ping.

1. to move quickly, forcefully, or destructively:

   Thoughts are like electric currents zapping through your mind.

   It used to be my childhood dream to zap around in a fast car like that.

noun

1. a jolt or charge of or as if of electricity:

   A wire shorted out and he got a zap from his microphone.

   These fresh-cut fries have a hint of zesty lime and a zap of tequila.

2. an act or period of microwaving:

   We sell prepackaged foods that require only a zap in the microwave to make them table-ready.

3. a forceful and sudden blow, hit, or attack:

   This game character can kill minions and goblins with a zap even after he dies.

4. any method of political activism, usually of a disruptive nature:

   A gay rights group organized a zap of the restaurant to push for removal of its offensive sign.

5. force, energy, or drive; zip:

   Their stew is a bit dull, but the steak chili soup packs much more zap and one heck of a lot of meat.

verb phrase

1. to add a sudden infusion of energy, verve, color, attractiveness, or the like:

   This bright skirt is just the thing to zap up your spring wardrobe.

zap

/ zæp /

verb

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

noun

1. energy, vigour, or pep

interjection

1. an exclamation used to express sudden or swift action

Other Words From

• zap·per noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of zap¹

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45; imitative

Word History and Origins

Origin of zap¹

C20: of imitative origin

Example Sentences

“Once you get deeper in, it’s basically as if you’ve got a battery. Your battery starts to dwindle so those trips at the end really zap you,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

He added that the weeder can zap 6,500 weeds per minute, compared with the roughly 40 weeds per minute that can be picked by hand.

From Los Angeles Times

It zaps Uncle Ty with a loud, sizzling crack, and he convulses to the floor.

From Literature

In stark contrast, those cells that had received a zap accumulated about 40 times the amount of the fluorescent green proteins delivered by the virus.

From Science Daily

Technicians had zapped the insects, all males, with radiation in a nearby lab to make them sterile.

From Los Angeles Times