as in to hit
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
zapped the annoying bug with a swatter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of zap
Each player did for a time, but injuries to both zapped Boston’s power production, and Breslow acknowledged adding more power this offseason will be a priority.
—
Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Low temps can affect plants in different ways that usually start with slowing a plant’s growth and metabolism and can zap any leaves — think of your poor herb garden.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 23 Oct. 2025
The special teams play helped Los Alamitos zap the momentum of Edison, which took its first lead in the middle of the second quarter.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025
Ace zaps back, letting loose a laugh punctuated with manic handclaps.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zap
Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Low temps can affect plants in different ways that usually start with slowing a plant’s growth and metabolism and can zap any leaves — think of your poor herb garden.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 23 Oct. 2025
The special teams play helped Los Alamitos zap the momentum of Edison, which took its first lead in the middle of the second quarter.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025
Ace zaps back, letting loose a laugh punctuated with manic handclaps.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zap
Verb
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Journalist Don Lemon was released from custody Friday after he was arrested and hit with federal civil rights charges over his coverage of an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
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But of all the spaghetti that got thrown at the wall, this is the one that hits for reasons that are totally orthogonal to politics and sort of Washington.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Three weeks after the beating, the FBI tracked Fakroune to an apartment in New York and knocked on the door.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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Production may dip slightly in winter, but South Florida’s short stretches of sweatshirt weather aren’t enough to knock populations back significantly.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In his defense, Barnett took the stand to say there was no murder plot and that Thomas threatened him for the money using physical violence — knocking out a tooth, injuring his left shoulder, and smacking his private parts.—
Sydney Pereira,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
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Stiddy is the guy who throws no-look passes in practice and talks smack to the starting defense.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Five players were booked during their defeat to Cameroon, including Foster, who slapped the linesman’s hand twice and screamed in his face in frustration over a decision.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Mimicking what happened seven years earlier after the Dallas playoff win in Charlotte, the players ran back outside and took a lap around the stadium, slapping hands with delirious home fans.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Joe Mazzulla tipped his cap to Patriots counterpart Mike Vrabel after New England punched its ticket to Super Bowl LX.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
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For many, the surge in gold prices has punched a hole in their wedding budgets.—
Preeti Soni,
Bloomberg,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Combined with the swiveling dining table, the setup allows several digital nomads to comfortably clack away on their keyboards at the same time – no banging elbows or rubbing knees.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Jan. 2026
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The float at the front of the line featured Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy with Mickey waving the flag, Goofy banging a drum, and Donald on flute, a giant eagle looming over them from behind.—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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During the ceremony, Barron was seen smiling and clapping alongside Elon Musk, animatedly talking with Jeff Bezos and greeting outgoing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.—
Paloma Chavez,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
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The crowd rose to its feet, clapping and shouting in approval.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Rasmus Dahlin and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen weren’t on the same page playing a puck behind the net, and Mavrik Bourque whacked a rebound in with Dahlin as the closest Sabre in coverage.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
1 Jan. 2026
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Even where verification was mandated, such as in Taiwan and Singapore, Meta’s systems showed a whack-a-mole effect.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Zap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zap. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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