tap 1 of 3

verb (1)

ˈtap How to pronounce tap (audio)
Definition of tapnext
as in to drum
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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tap

2 of 3

verb (2)

as in to drain
to remove (liquid) gradually or completely the oil company tapped that first well completely dry

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tap

3 of 3

noun

as in valve
a fixture for controlling the flow of a liquid turn the tap to the right for cold water and to the left for hot water

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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 tap
Verb
Just when things were drifting towards extra-time, Senne Lammens drops a clanger in the Belgium goal and Mikel Merino taps in from close range to give Spain a 2-1 lead. — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 10 July 2026 Ramírez Cañedo said that in the past, the Cuban government had tapped non-diplomats to lead secret talks with the United States. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026 No politician since Ronald Reagan, who inspired Obama, has done more to tap the nation’s past to instill national pride in the present. — Mark Brilliant, Mercury News, 9 July 2026 Brandon Hubrins, an administrator in Ellington Public Schools, has been tapped to succeed outgoing principal Pete Wininger at Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 9 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for tap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tap
  1. drum
  2. drain
  3. valve
  4. bang
  5. pump
Verb
  • Limitation has always been their jam — from the three-color palette to the two-person format, from Meg White’s satisfying-n’-simple drumming to Jack White‘s insistence on cheap plastic guitars.
    — Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026
  • For 90 minutes, supporters waved flags, drummed, danced, and sang, but by the end of the evening the soccer scoreline mattered far less than what unfolded in the crowd.
    — Latif Love July 4, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026
Definition of drum
Verb
  • Conwell drained a three on his first shot but then missed six in a row, before hitting another three late in the third quarter.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 4 July 2026
  • The promotion dropped on Monday, June 29 and almost immediately, the original $150,000 budget allocated to the promotion was drained —covering some 25,000 pulls.
    — Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of drain
Noun
  • Days passed before a Deere technician could come to his farm and trace it to a faulty valve.
    — Natalie Kainz, NBC news, 10 July 2026
  • This is caused by linkages when digital systems (software, network connections, and AI models) interface directly with physical machinery (actuators, robotic limbs, vehicles, and factory valves).
    — Anjana Susarla, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026
Definition of valve
Verb
  • Then the team did it, sitting on the field after beating Ivory Coast to reach the round of 16, with captain Martin Odegaard banging the drum.
    — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026
  • Especially the guy who bangs a wrecking ball against the historic East Wing to make room for an incongruous ballroom monstrosity, who mars the sacred Oval Office with gold glitter and paves over the lovely Rose Garden.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Definition of bang
Verb
  • Brake gently as needed - Brake normally if the vehicle has anti-lock brakes and pump brakes gently if in an older vehicle.
    — NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 8 July 2026
  • Pitching in the rotation spot vacated when Randy Vásquez went on the IL with a right ankle bruise, Márquez overcame a 31-pitch first inning and was able to walk off the mound four innings later pumping his fist after throwing just 51 more.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2026
Definition of pump

Phrases Containing tap

Browse Nearby Words

tantrums
tap
tap-dance
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Cite this Entry

“Tap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tap. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on tap

Nglish: Translation of tap for Spanish Speakers

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