zap

verb

Definition of zapnext
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

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 zap Participants remove invasive plants that zap up resources for native plants trying to reestablish themselves. — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026 Obviously for high-level players who are Gallagher’s age, time can zap their overall game rather suddenly. — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 During thunderstorms, lightning can zap the air and turn oxygen to ozone, which then gets whisked away by the wind. — Lance Schulteis, jsonline.com, 24 Aug. 2026 An ophthalmologist injected an air bubble into my eye and zapped the hole shut with a laser. — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for zap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zap
  1. hit
  2. knock
  3. smack
  4. slap
  5. punch
  6. bang
  7. clap
  8. whack
Verb
  • Residential real estate prices may hit a bottom in the third quarter of 2028, the report said.
    — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • For Fleabag and The Tourist producer Two Brothers, the show is the first hitting the international market since its parent, All3Media, was acquired by Banijay.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of hit
Verb
  • The fans were ready to rock, but the Guardians knocked the Sox on their backs.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The 22-year-old emerged from the woods Wednesday evening after a six-day disappearance and knocked on the driver’s side window of a search-and-rescue cruiser.
    — Angie Orellana Hernandez, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of knock
Verb
  • The Eagles also have been smacked with injuries and played without several key starters.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
  • And there’s rarely time to digest one controversy before the next one comes barreling down the road and smacks us in the mouth.
    — Bernard Goldberg, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of smack
Verb
  • Hochman said the nannies were caught on video spanking, slapping or hitting the children.
    — News Editor, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Residents have reported paying excessive amounts to retrieve their vehicles from tow yards, with companies sometimes slapping extra fees on drivers who contact the police, according to council members.
    — Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of slap
Verb
  • During the scuffle, a loud smack is heard as the officer who shoved her appears to punch her in the face.
    — Suzanne Gamboa, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026
  • His pass set and movements looked more like an art than someone who punched people for a living.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of punch
Verb
  • On this day in 1960, one of the most shocking and iconic Cold War moments unfolded when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev brandished and banged his shoe at the United Nations.
    — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Kulich stood near the side of the net banging his stick on the ice, and Power found him with the perfect pass.
    — Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of bang
Verb
  • The musicians were smiling, the spectators tapped and clapped, and that magical sense of timelessness was real, spanning multiple generations.
    — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
  • At one point, the audience tentatively started clapping then quickly quieted back down.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of clap
Verb
  • When the game resumed, families in the stands celebrated each time a child managed to whack the ball.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • But every season thus far — not only including but especially this one — has concluded as a perverse, whack, and certainly damning portrait of American war games in an era of steep imperial decline.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of whack

Browse Nearby Words

zany
zap
zapped
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Zap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zap. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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