as in hit
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
zapped the annoying bug with a swatter
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Recent Examples of zapped
Between freezing air outside and bone-dry heat indoors, moisture gets zapped fast, leaving behind frizz, static, and ends that feel crunchy.
—
Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 20 Feb. 2026
His power was zapped, and his plate approach eroded, which led to him chasing more pitches outside the strike zone.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026
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
For some irony, given the licensing deal with Netflix, Korvo and Terry announce that the Solar Opposites are broke, with all of their moneymaking machines zapped.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
By around 1966, it was cleared from the US, and Mexico zapped the population in the 1980s.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 24 Sep. 2025
Thus, all of the Face Cards are defeated, leading Mira to be zapped to oblivion.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Sep. 2025
You’re not zapped back into your normal brain so quickly.
—P.e. Moskowitz
september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
When the fated lightning came to destroy the Demon Orb, Ne Zha was ready to be zapped to death.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 20 Feb. 2026
His power was zapped, and his plate approach eroded, which led to him chasing more pitches outside the strike zone.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026
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
For some irony, given the licensing deal with Netflix, Korvo and Terry announce that the Solar Opposites are broke, with all of their moneymaking machines zapped.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
By around 1966, it was cleared from the US, and Mexico zapped the population in the 1980s.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 24 Sep. 2025
Thus, all of the Face Cards are defeated, leading Mira to be zapped to oblivion.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Sep. 2025
You’re not zapped back into your normal brain so quickly.
—P.e. Moskowitz
september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
When the fated lightning came to destroy the Demon Orb, Ne Zha was ready to be zapped to death.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zapped
Verb
-
In the bottom of the inning, Temo Becerra, a senior, hit just his fourth collegiate homer with a shot into the Crawford Boxes in left field.—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The heated rivalry between the Pentagon and Anthropic just hit a new horizon Friday.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
One of the teens fell off the vehicle and was knocked unconscious.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Another officer knocked repeatedly at the door, but there was no answer, though Wojcik said the officers could see someone was inside.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
There was that type of moment Tuesday, when Joe Mack – considered one of the top catching prospects in baseball - smacked a fifth-inning grand slam off Phillies’ minor league pitcher Andrew Walling in a 6-1 Marlins win.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
-
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 of last year’s World Series, Ernie Clement smacked a fly ball off Yoshinobu Yamamoto into the left-center-field gap with the bases loaded and the score tied.—
Anthony Solorzano,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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From there Moss scrapped to two outs, but the Bruins worked the bases loaded before Martin slapped a single up the middle to drive in two runs.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Kyiv's allies have slapped heavy sanctions on Moscow, forcing it to redirect its key oil exports toward new markets, particularly in Asia.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Cornyn, for his part, has not shied away from the criticism and has even punched back at his opponents.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Mar. 2026
-
According to the sheriff's office, the suspect, who was identified as 33-year-old Shenard Jennings, and his roommate, Shouman, had ongoing arguments that had escalated when Jennings allegedly punched and beat Shouman, killing him.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
After a rare rough outing from starter Luke Harrison, who allowed two runs and walked five in 3⅓ innings, Texas rolled out five outstanding bullpen arms that slammed the door on Baylor.—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Kitchen cabinets get a lot of wear since they’re constantly being opened, slammed, and bumped all day long.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
1 Mar. 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
Verb
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Sadberry limped off the floor in the third quarter with a cramp after someone banged into her knee.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
-
While trying to duck under the very first beam in the very first challenge at the marooning, Bruce banged and bloodied his head, suffering a concussion.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Zapped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zapped. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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