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
Even with Slack zapping the number of emails sent, most people still waste so much time sifting through their inboxes.
—
semafor.com, 9 Jan. 2026
The alcohol will zap the oily residue and grime left by a human hand.
—Alicia Chilton, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Dec. 2025
That happened three times this season, and two of them zapped the Chiefs’ chances to win a game.
—Sam McDowell December 15, Kansas City Star, 15 Dec. 2025
Ride-hailing doesn’t fit so much into his busy lifestyle with small children and sports, but what does zap a lot of time?
—Jackie Charniga, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zap
semafor.com, 9 Jan. 2026
The alcohol will zap the oily residue and grime left by a human hand.
—Alicia Chilton, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Dec. 2025
That happened three times this season, and two of them zapped the Chiefs’ chances to win a game.
—Sam McDowell December 15, Kansas City Star, 15 Dec. 2025
Ride-hailing doesn’t fit so much into his busy lifestyle with small children and sports, but what does zap a lot of time?
—Jackie Charniga, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zap
Verb
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As former agent and cap expert Joel Corry told me, the amount that Ross agrees to pay of Tagovailoa’s 2026 salary (for a new team) would not have much effect on his Dolphins’ dead money cap hit provided the trade is made after June 1.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
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Some of the students at Naperville North tried to mimic the coach’s actions, working on their technique, while other appeared to be more focused on hitting the ball to their friend as hard as possible.—
Carolyn Stein,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Even 6 inches of swiftly moving water can forcefully knock you off your feet.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
17 Feb. 2026
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Even just 6 inches of swiftly moving water can forcefully knock you off your feet.—
Mobile Web,
Mercury News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Within seconds, Perez smacked a cellphone out of the man's hand, swung at his head and tackled him to the ground.—
Sheridan Hendrix,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
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But tens of thousands of films are made each year, and quite a few of them break the rules, defy conventional narrative expectations and smack us deep in our souls.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Grahovac was hit on the first pitch of the day, and Sorell slapped a single through right field to give A&M two runners with no outs.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Feb. 2026
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Beware of the word ‘spread’ slapped across anything passing itself off as pimento cheese.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The police statement claims that upon being released, LaBeouf struck the same man with his fists before allegedly punching another man in the nose.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Feb. 2026
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Additionally, the actor assaulted another man by punching him in the nose, according to police.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And Peters has been banging his head on his desk trying to get Congress to use it.—
Josh Tyrangiel,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
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Anthropic’s lunchroom, downstairs, was where Claude banged its head against walls in real life.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The crowd — representing a wide range of backgrounds and languages — clapped along and filmed on their phones, clearly enjoying it.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
19 Feb. 2026
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Her Donna Summer disco program had fans clapping within the first minute.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When players from the United States and Czechia whacked their sticks on the ice in unison during warmups, the sound rattled out like a shot.—
The Sports Desk,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
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Walker is making $20 million this season and whacked a team-leading 27 home runs in 2025.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Zap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zap. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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