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
Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Somewhere down Wabash Avenue, a jeweler taps a ring against glass to test its weight.
—Parin Moradiya, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
The reaction taps into a bigger wave of tech fatigue.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 9 Jan. 2026
One Battle After Another leads the night in nominations for films with nine nods, while The White Lotus taps the list in TV nominations with six.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 9 Jan. 2026
In new photos from the Very VS Valentine’s campaign released on Wednesday, January 7, Bieber taps into her inner Victoria’s Secret Angel while stripping down to her skivvies.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 7 Jan. 2026
Think mid-century diner vibes, 70s flower power patterns, vintage advertisements, old-school movie posters, or anything that taps into collective nostalgia.
—Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Jan. 2026
Political without being didactic, the film taps into contemporary anxieties around immigration, power and resistance, delivering tension, spectacle and emotional weight in equal measure.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 5 Jan. 2026
By matching these measurements with high-speed videos, the scientists tracked the woodpeckers’ taps down to every four milliseconds.
—Rohini Subrahmanyam, Scientific American, 2 Jan. 2026
Phan Khang, Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2026
For a harder version, try shoulder taps, which involve tapping alternate shoulders in the plank position without twisting.
—Sherri Gordon, Health, 13 Jan. 2026
In less than an hour, those taps will be flowing again.
—Tara Palmeri, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
About Cavendish Brewery Opened in 2017, the pub has 28 taps and specializes in old world beer styles.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 7 Jan. 2026
The country’s problems were compounded by a water and energy crisis last year that led to dry taps and electricity blackouts.
—Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 4 Jan. 2026
Hawks players celebrated with stick taps for the Joliet kid.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
Bell toe-taps to get into the end zone on the third-down pass, and replay overturns the initial incomplete call.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 31 Dec. 2025
While no one is predicting Mad Max scenarios or dry taps, shortages could kill gardens and trees, turn lawns to gravel, worsen housing shortages, burden local government budgets, increase taxes and water rates and throw a wrench into local economies.
—Austin Corona, AZCentral.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
The three attacking midfielders in Emery’s set-up are afforded the freedom to drift across the pitch, which taps into Rogers’ ability to find dangerous pockets of space between the lines.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Somewhere down Wabash Avenue, a jeweler taps a ring against glass to test its weight.
—Parin Moradiya, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
The reaction taps into a bigger wave of tech fatigue.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 9 Jan. 2026
One Battle After Another leads the night in nominations for films with nine nods, while The White Lotus taps the list in TV nominations with six.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 9 Jan. 2026
In new photos from the Very VS Valentine’s campaign released on Wednesday, January 7, Bieber taps into her inner Victoria’s Secret Angel while stripping down to her skivvies.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 7 Jan. 2026
Think mid-century diner vibes, 70s flower power patterns, vintage advertisements, old-school movie posters, or anything that taps into collective nostalgia.
—Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Jan. 2026
Political without being didactic, the film taps into contemporary anxieties around immigration, power and resistance, delivering tension, spectacle and emotional weight in equal measure.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 5 Jan. 2026
By matching these measurements with high-speed videos, the scientists tracked the woodpeckers’ taps down to every four milliseconds.
—Rohini Subrahmanyam, Scientific American, 2 Jan. 2026
Noun
Use the same contactless bank card (or the same Clipper card) for all taps in that trip to receive the transfer discount.
—Phan Khang, Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2026
For a harder version, try shoulder taps, which involve tapping alternate shoulders in the plank position without twisting.
—Sherri Gordon, Health, 13 Jan. 2026
In less than an hour, those taps will be flowing again.
—Tara Palmeri, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
About Cavendish Brewery Opened in 2017, the pub has 28 taps and specializes in old world beer styles.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 7 Jan. 2026
The country’s problems were compounded by a water and energy crisis last year that led to dry taps and electricity blackouts.
—Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 4 Jan. 2026
Hawks players celebrated with stick taps for the Joliet kid.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
Bell toe-taps to get into the end zone on the third-down pass, and replay overturns the initial incomplete call.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 31 Dec. 2025
While no one is predicting Mad Max scenarios or dry taps, shortages could kill gardens and trees, turn lawns to gravel, worsen housing shortages, burden local government budgets, increase taxes and water rates and throw a wrench into local economies.
—Austin Corona, AZCentral.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taps
valves
Noun
-
The work involved replacing huge concrete pipes that are 36 inches wide and replacing three large valves that can cost as much as $200,000 each.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
3 Jan. 2026
-
Spit valves full, chops spent, the band finished their set, and the patrons, ears ringing, set out into the night.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
2 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taps. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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