as in drums
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
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as in drains
to remove (liquid) gradually or completely
the oil company tapped that first well completely dry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of taps
Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 12 Mar. 2026
Adam McKay’s toxically smug dissection of Dick Cheney fails to take the full measure of this monstrous vice-president, but even so, Bale taps into something elemental about the man’s arrogance and domineering personality.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
Barber then attempts to pull out of the spot but lightly taps Riley's vehicle, the complaint said.
—Drake Bentley, jsonline.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Accessed through tools like Claude Gov—which became a preferred option for some defense personnel, according to Bloomberg—the system taps into enormous data pipelines to turn a flood of unstructured information into readable intelligence.
—Eric Sullivan, Scientific American, 6 Mar. 2026
The story begins with a scene that taps into every parent’s worst fear, when a five-year-old child wanders off from a family birthday party.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Plus, a feature called Concerts Near You aims to be a recommendation engine for local shows that taps into your musical tastes.
—James Peckham, PC Magazine, 5 Mar. 2026
El Pollo Loco has a new section on its menu that taps into the high protein craze.
—Fielding Buck, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026
The falling moon of Majora's Mask While not a blood moon, Majora's Mask also taps into a rich vein of lunar paranoia by way of its grinning apocalypse moon.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Issy Von Simson, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
Back in 1991, the Iraqi troops under Saddam Hussein deliberately opened the taps of a key Kuwaiti oil pipeline, spilling the crude into the Persian Gulf.
—Javier Blas, Twin Cities, 9 Mar. 2026
The auto-timer requires five taps of the timer button; switching units of measurement requires six.
—Adam Campbell-Schmitt, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Mar. 2026
The player and fan exchanged taps on their hearts to one another.
—Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
When the two rivers flow normally, the taps run.
—David Marston, Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2026
His grandfather served generations of families and Westenhofer’s garnered a reputation over the years as having the hard-to-find pieces that fit old water taps and hinges for brass doorknobs, which are common in the mid-20th century homes in the surrounding Schnitzelburg and Audubon neighborhoods.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Mar. 2026
Two taps of the helmet on back-to-back pitches changed the course of the game.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
Opening the taps further may also be consistent with Riyadh’s long-term objectives.
—Grant Smith, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026
Verb
Beneath the landscape, a geoexchange system composed of 16 trenches, each roughly 10 feet deep and 150 feet long, taps the earth’s stable temperature to handle heating and cooling.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 12 Mar. 2026
Adam McKay’s toxically smug dissection of Dick Cheney fails to take the full measure of this monstrous vice-president, but even so, Bale taps into something elemental about the man’s arrogance and domineering personality.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
Barber then attempts to pull out of the spot but lightly taps Riley's vehicle, the complaint said.
—Drake Bentley, jsonline.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Accessed through tools like Claude Gov—which became a preferred option for some defense personnel, according to Bloomberg—the system taps into enormous data pipelines to turn a flood of unstructured information into readable intelligence.
—Eric Sullivan, Scientific American, 6 Mar. 2026
The story begins with a scene that taps into every parent’s worst fear, when a five-year-old child wanders off from a family birthday party.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Plus, a feature called Concerts Near You aims to be a recommendation engine for local shows that taps into your musical tastes.
—James Peckham, PC Magazine, 5 Mar. 2026
El Pollo Loco has a new section on its menu that taps into the high protein craze.
—Fielding Buck, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026
The falling moon of Majora's Mask While not a blood moon, Majora's Mask also taps into a rich vein of lunar paranoia by way of its grinning apocalypse moon.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Noun
Back then, its namesake group of painters showcased their watercolors at the Newlyn Art Gallery; today the Newlyn School of Art taps into that cultural heritage with one-day courses in experimental portraits, seascapes, and abstraction, all taught by local artists.
—Issy Von Simson, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
Back in 1991, the Iraqi troops under Saddam Hussein deliberately opened the taps of a key Kuwaiti oil pipeline, spilling the crude into the Persian Gulf.
—Javier Blas, Twin Cities, 9 Mar. 2026
The auto-timer requires five taps of the timer button; switching units of measurement requires six.
—Adam Campbell-Schmitt, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Mar. 2026
The player and fan exchanged taps on their hearts to one another.
—Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
When the two rivers flow normally, the taps run.
—David Marston, Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2026
His grandfather served generations of families and Westenhofer’s garnered a reputation over the years as having the hard-to-find pieces that fit old water taps and hinges for brass doorknobs, which are common in the mid-20th century homes in the surrounding Schnitzelburg and Audubon neighborhoods.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Mar. 2026
Two taps of the helmet on back-to-back pitches changed the course of the game.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
Opening the taps further may also be consistent with Riyadh’s long-term objectives.
—Grant Smith, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taps
valves
Noun
-
Gulf facilities are now increasingly resorting to shut-ins, manually shutting valves to slow down the flow of petroleum.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Other duties include checking to make sure plant equipment is running correctly in case of an emergency – making sure valves close, water pumps are working, and electrical equipment can supply power.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taps. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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