zap

American  

[zap] / zæp /

verb (used with object)

zapped, zapping

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.

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verb (used without object)

zapped, zapping

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. zap up 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 British  

/ 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

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noun

1. energy, vigour, or pep

interjection

1. an exclamation used to express sudden or swift action

Other Word Forms

• zapper noun

Etymology

Origin of zap

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45; imitative

Explanation

Something that happens abruptly and dramatically is a zap, like a zap of electricity or a zap of insight, an idea that comes to you in a sudden burst. You can also use zap as a verb to mean "strike forcefully" or " cook in a microwave." So characters in the Star Wars movies zap each other with light sabres, but the only zapping you do is when you zap your cold pizza in the microwave. While some credit the 1940s comic Buck Rogers in the Twenty-Fifth Century with the first zap, it was probably coined about 20 years earlier.

Example Sentences

Next up: electrical muscle stimulation, or EMS, where people wear damp suits covered with electrodes that zap their major muscle groups simultaneously for about 20 minutes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

"I definitely think it could kind of zap you pretty quick with how hot it could get," she said.

From Barron's • Jan. 24, 2026

This isn't a supernatural being that craves blood; energy-vampires refer to friends who seem to zap your energy when you spend time with them.

From BBC • Sep. 28, 2025

It can lead to side effects such as a symptom called "brain zap" in which patients feel sudden shocks in their head.

From Salon • Jun. 4, 2025

My heart stops—if that’s actually possible without a massive zap of electricity.

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty