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
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as in drained
to remove (liquid) gradually or completely
the oil company tapped that first well completely dry
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Recent Examples of tapped
Erica Sloan, SELF, 19 Feb. 2026
Fox and Weisblatt originally tapped him to be the chef at Chez Renée, a restaurant that was planned to open in the original Giorgio Baldi space on PCH.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Benin and Cameroon have already tapped debt markets this year, while Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Republic of Congo are planning debt sales, too.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 19 Feb. 2026
To get Gwyn off the ground, Paltrow tapped fashion-industry heavy hitter Sofía Menassé, who cut her teeth at Alexander Wang, Maison Margiela, and The Row.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 18 Feb. 2026
Dorinda Medley has been tapped back in to join the Real Housewives of New York reboot following Jill Zarin’s exit.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 17 Feb. 2026
Sharpton was just a 14-year-old boy preacher when Jackson, a King lieutenant, tapped him to be the youth director of the Brooklyn branch of Jackson’s Operation Breadbasket economic empowerment campaign.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 17 Feb. 2026
Twenty one years after Fox cast David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel as the leads of a crime drama procedural pilot, Bones, NBC has tapped the duo to each headline a crime drama procedural pilot for the network.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
Foran was tapped to take the wheel, and steer the conglomerate back on course.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
Verb
Research shows being tapped into a social network increases the chances that people do health-supportive behaviors, like go to the gym, eat a balanced diet, and steer clear of smoking and drug use—all of which can add up to a longer life.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 19 Feb. 2026
Fox and Weisblatt originally tapped him to be the chef at Chez Renée, a restaurant that was planned to open in the original Giorgio Baldi space on PCH.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Benin and Cameroon have already tapped debt markets this year, while Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Republic of Congo are planning debt sales, too.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 19 Feb. 2026
To get Gwyn off the ground, Paltrow tapped fashion-industry heavy hitter Sofía Menassé, who cut her teeth at Alexander Wang, Maison Margiela, and The Row.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 18 Feb. 2026
Dorinda Medley has been tapped back in to join the Real Housewives of New York reboot following Jill Zarin’s exit.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 17 Feb. 2026
Sharpton was just a 14-year-old boy preacher when Jackson, a King lieutenant, tapped him to be the youth director of the Brooklyn branch of Jackson’s Operation Breadbasket economic empowerment campaign.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 17 Feb. 2026
Twenty one years after Fox cast David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel as the leads of a crime drama procedural pilot, Bones, NBC has tapped the duo to each headline a crime drama procedural pilot for the network.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
Foran was tapped to take the wheel, and steer the conglomerate back on course.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tapped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tapped. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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