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

Relevance

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 The clicking was from our electric fence, which was always zapping some errant grass, a misbehaving sheep, or a horny bull. — Chris Lee, ArsTechnica, 22 July 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zapping
  1. hitting
  2. slapping
  3. smacking
  4. knocking
  5. punching
  6. slamming
  7. banging
  8. whacking
Verb
  • Jordan Walker extended his hitting streak to 10 games, the fourth streak of 10 of more games for him this season.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Lee gave the Giants a 2-1 lead in the fifth by hitting his career-high ninth home run of the season, a solo shot that nearly landed in McCovey Cove.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of hitting
Verb
  • Yan bounded off the mound, slapping his hand against his glove several times, after the inning ended.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Once again, Yan did the whole jumping, landing, ground-slapping thing (no slide this time though).
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of slapping
Verb
  • Carrington was ejected from the game in the first half after smacking Cunningham across the face during Cunningham's layup attempt.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Catcher Daniel Susac followed up Wednesday’s two-home-run game by smacking a two-run shot, and the Giants bullpen didn’t break down while protecting a 4-1 victory.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of smacking
Verb
  • Every follow, every comment, every DM is someone knocking on the door.
    — Olivia Shalhoup, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Elarms-Orr didn’t think Kincaid was down and laid a sizable hit on the tight end, knocking him to the ground again.
    — Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of knocking
Verb
  • Background on the case On May 30, Shelby Police Officer Karson Hyder was captured repeatedly punching 34-year-old Cherie Moore during an arrest.
    — Zaire Breedlove, Charlotte Observer, 30 July 2026
  • Salgado is accused of approaching the man, taunting him to start a fight and punching him in the face, police said.
    — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026
Definition of punching
Verb
  • But, Alexanian says, policymakers also worry about overregulation slamming the breaks on useful research.
    — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026
  • At that moment, another car came in to merge and seemingly failed to notice the other vehicle stalled, slamming into the back of it.
    — Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of slamming
Verb
  • Where grass grows right up to a tree’s trunk, the lawnmower will inevitably follow, banging and chipping the bark or scalping bark off roots that are exposed above the soil.
    — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026
  • In several municipalities, particularly in Havana, residents staged neighborhood protests after blackouts lasting more than 48 hours, banging pots and pans and burning garbage piled up on street corners.
    — Andrea Rodriguez, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of banging
Verb
  • As the movie shows, local foodies would swarm the ocean whenever striped bass appeared, reeling them in with pieces of Wonder Bread and then whacking them on the head.
    — Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 7 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of whacking

Browse Nearby Words

zapped
zapping
zaps
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Zapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zapping. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on zapping

Nglish: Translation of zapping for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vacuous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All