zaps

verb

present tense third-person singular of zap
as in slaps
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 zaps The top spray instantly zaps away high temperatures, while forced convection in the lower puddle continuously draws away residual heat. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 July 2026 Poopies tries to shave his face as Knoxville zaps him, and later, Steve-O struggles to tattoo a smiley face onto Holmes' nipple as he gets repeatedly buzzed. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 26 June 2026 Paradise playing coy with details on Samantha’s plan or how ALEX can be used to save the world plays up the mystery, but this lack of information regarding her thought process zaps the moment of emotion and tension. — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 30 Mar. 2026 Known only as The Man from the Future, Rockwell's character zaps back from the future and lands in a Norms diner, looking to assemble a dream team to stop the AI apocalypse. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 17 Mar. 2026 To record information, a laser zaps data into precise depths of the glass using a series of energy pulses that each last for about one quadrillionth of a second. — Damien Pine, Scientific American, 19 Feb. 2026 In the Boston area, a train with lasers mounted in front zaps the rails to deal with leaf slurry that creates an oil slick. — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 1 Feb. 2026 This is especially vital as Mars in your 4th House of Memory zaps Chiron in your sociable 7th house. — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 13 Jan. 2026 Ace zaps back, letting loose a laugh punctuated with manic handclaps. — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zaps
  1. slaps
  2. knocks
  3. hits
  4. smacks
  5. slams
  6. punches
  7. claps
  8. whacks
Verb
  • Helmut Haller, West Germany vs England, 1966 Ray Wilson misjudges his headed clearance, Haller gathers it on the edge of the box and, just before Bobby Moore can close him down, slaps a right-footed shot into the far corner.
    — Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026
  • Wilhelm enters the room, removes most of his clothing and gets into bed with her, slaps her, pushes her away and then caresses her face and cradles her.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
Definition of slaps
Verb
  • One of the marks of Charles is his ability to keep getting up when the world knocks him down.
    — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 25 July 2026
  • Thekla then strikes Nightingale with the microphone and attempts to hit her with the championship belt, but Nightingale knocks her away.
    — Rob Wolkenbrod, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of knocks
Verb
  • Amid a season marred by struggles, Kyle Tucker hits home runs in back-to-back games to help the Dodgers secure a series win over the New York Mets.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026
  • Made right, this dish hits all the high notes for a nutritious breakfast.
    — Randi Gollin, Martha Stewart, 26 July 2026
Definition of hits
Verb
  • The boy smacks him in the mouth and then immediately starts crying.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 28 Apr. 2026
  • An attack rears its ugly head, and the security team smacks it down.
    — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
Definition of smacks
Verb
  • This is happening as a demographic shift to an older, grayer population slams Colorado.
    — Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 5 July 2026
  • Taylor Sheridan slams critics Sheridan's series are all hits with regular people, but he's routinely been a target for critics.
    — David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of slams
Verb
  • And if the pizza isn’t enticing enough, Urban Cowboy’s cocktail program punches far above its weight class.
    — Beth Rankin, Denver Post, 27 July 2026
  • As the officer is pinned down, one person repeatedly punches her in the head while another appears to strike her with an unidentified object before a second officer intervenes.
    — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of punches
Verb
  • Claire Foy claps from the stands on Day 9 of Wimbledon in London on July 7.
    — Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 8 July 2026
  • The crowd claps and cheers, screaming wildly when Buteau drops it rather politely before strutting with Peppermint to their seats on stage.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2026
Definition of claps
Verb
  • With runners on the corners, Martinez whacks a two-run, RBI double to tie it at five.
    — Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Then little Holly Wheeler and her 10-year-old friends, including the Season 5 favorite Derek (Jake Connelly), all swarm into the basement and take over the D&D table in a passing of the torch that basically whacks the audience over our collective heads.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
Definition of whacks

Browse Nearby Words

zapping
zaps
zeal
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Zaps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zaps. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on zaps

Nglish: Translation of zaps 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 spindrift

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
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
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All