zapping

verb

present participle of zap
as in hitting
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 zapping No one seems happy to still be zapping themselves with electrodes. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026 These 15 recipes are a major step up from zapping a bag of frozen broccoli. — Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 June 2026 Scientists have been zapping brains to alleviate depression for decades through a method called transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS. — O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 27 Apr. 2026 Lasers that focus on zapping drones out of the sky. — Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026 Porzingis was limited to 42 games a year ago for the Boston Celtics in part because of an energy-zapping illness. — Sam Gordon, San Francisco Chronicle, 27 Feb. 2026 Salicylic acid, a beta hydroxy acid (BHA) lauded for its exfoliating and anti-inflammatory properties, has long been the MVP of breakout control, but today’s best salicylic acid serums go well beyond zapping zits. — Sarah Han, Allure, 27 Jan. 2026 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 For all of Earth history, lightning has been zapping the surface, today at the rate of 100 strikes a second. — Peter Brannen, Big Think, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zapping
  1. hitting
  2. slapping
  3. smacking
  4. knocking
  5. punching
  6. slamming
  7. banging
  8. whacking
Verb
  • The team will take a day to settle in on Tuesday before hitting the practice field for the first of 13 sessions on Wednesday.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 July 2026
  • Jerry Kelly birdied the 72nd hole Sunday (despite hitting the ball in a greenside bunker) to account for a 2-shot margin of victory over Gogel, Darren Fichardt and Cameon Perry.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026
Definition of hitting
Verb
  • Brussels, however, was less charitable with EU regulators slapping a fine of 890 million euros ($1 billion) on Google, its first penalty under the Digital Markets Act, for favoring its own services.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 24 July 2026
  • Twenty wrestlers are committed to slipping on their mawashi loincloths (don’t call it a diaper), stomping to signal their readiness (that’s a shiko) and doing some belly-slapping grappling.
    — Cassidy Alexander, AJC.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of slapping
Verb
  • Heavy raindrops flew sideways, smacking against the hood of my rain jacket and creating a nearly deafening white noise.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2026
  • With a Triple-A pitcher called up for a spot start and a utilityman smacking an early two-run homer, the Boston Red Sox, having now won eight straight games, keep winning with an unlikely formula.
    — Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 12 July 2026
Definition of smacking
Verb
  • Snap a few photos before your guide for the day, Clint Holland, comes knocking.
    — Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • Cooper was accused of sending 20 messages and making two unanswered phone calls to his girlfriend before going to her apartment and knocking on her door, according to the arrest affidavit.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
Definition of knocking
Verb
  • Trey Songz has avoided jail time following his arrest last year over allegedly punching an employee at a nightclub in New York City.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 23 July 2026
  • But that hasn’t stopped one of the country’s increasingly renowned grape-growing regions from punching well above its weight.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 18 July 2026
Definition of punching
Verb
  • Even slamming the door of the Mercedes is a subdued event with its soft-close doors.
    — Sasha Lekach, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • One of the charges, his half-sister said, involved slamming his hand on the hood of an NYPD van that was blocking traffic in Times Square.
    — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of slamming
Verb
  • The game actually drew a decent spring crowd of 10,000-12,000, partially because Chesney had worked so hard at banging the drum.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026
  • According to the woman’s account, Leverett was banging his head against the walls and windows the day of the shooting.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 July 2026
Definition of banging
Verb
  • Larry Hayes, 86, and Bill Moniz, 79, hit the tennis courts in Mountain View three to four times a week — whacking balls across the net as teammates for one to three hours a week.
    — Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
  • And the crowd clearly expected that pucks whacking the nets would be at a premium in this series, too.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 May 2026
Definition of whacking

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Zapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zapping. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of zapping for Spanish Speakers

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