tapped 1 of 2

verb (1)

past tense of tap
as in drummed
to strike or cause to strike lightly and usually rhythmically tapped her foot in time to the music kept tapping the desk with his pencil

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

tapped

2 of 2

verb (2)

past tense of tap
as in drained
to remove (liquid) gradually or completely the oil company tapped that first well completely dry

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tapped
Verb
Earlier this year, Blumhouse Atomic tapped Sam Zimmerman as as SVP, development and acquisitions, to oversee a genre slate of projects under $5 million. — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2026 Kardashian, who will reprise her role as divorce attorney Allura Grant, tapped Ashi Studio for a custom premiere look that mirrored the show’s more-is-more ethos. — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026 Amy Pascal and David Heyman will produce, while veteran casting director Nina Gold has been tapped to lead the search for the next Bond. — Anna Tingley, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026 Andrews faced incumbent Republican Darline Graham, who was tapped to finish her brother Lindsey Graham’s time in the senate after his death. — Charlotte Observer, 3 Nov. 2026 So mention how a colleague specifically sought you out for an opinion, an executive tapped you for an initiative or someone praised your effort. — Melody Wilding, Contributor, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026 Aldo has tapped Zuhair Murad for its first collaboration with a couture house. — Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026 Klobuchar tapped Fergus Falls Mayor Ben Schierer as her lieutenant governor running mate. — CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026 Kings of Leon, Ella Langley, Flo Rida, and more artists have been tapped for Morgan Wallen’s Sand in My Boots Festival. — Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tapped
  1. drummed
  2. drained
  3. banged
  4. pumped
Verb
  • Research from clinical trials that have required female participants only since 1993 have repeatedly drummed home that message, from varying chromosomes in heart muscle cells to different heart attack symptoms and causes.
    — Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 26 Oct. 2026
  • In Malabo, Bioko’s biggest city, a team of men and women equipped with insecticide sprayers squeezed between low-rise cement buildings on a recent morning, as heavy rain drummed on aluminum roofs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of drummed
Verb
  • Osceola faces a $100 million budget shortfall and has drained most of its reserve funds.
    — Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2026
  • But this resilience should not be mistaken for future security of supply, especially as this potential escalation comes at a time when global inventory levels have been drained by around 1 billion barrels.
    — Amena Bakr, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of drained
Verb
  • Canada banged awkwardly into Williams’ knee on a box out during her late free throws and the Valkyries star was being cared for by an athletic trainer on the bench in the waning moments.
    — Janie McCauley, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Canada banged awkwardly into Williams’ knee on a box out during her late free throws and the Valkyries’ star was being cared for by an athletic trainer on the bench in the waning moments.
    — Janie McCauley, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of banged
Verb
  • Several speakers noted that while fish species are declining dramatically, about 80% of the water that’s diverted and pumped in California is used for agriculture, and vast quantities of almonds and pistachios are being shipped overseas.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Three large-scale experiments were underway, but only one — a Norwegian operation that captured carbon from a natural gas field and pumped it under the bed of the North Sea — had rigorously tested permanent storage.
    — Katie Worth, ProPublica, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of pumped

Phrases Containing tapped

Browse Nearby Words

taping
tapped
tapped out
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tapped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tapped. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of effrontery

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All