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
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Recent Examples of zaps
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
If that means the Evil Twin Pink Pineapple, prepare for a goblet of roseate brew whose tartness zaps the mouth like a laser.
—Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
Wait to dig the tubers until a killing freeze zaps all the foliage.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Oct. 2025
Fester zaps the whole place, shutting off the power and freeing all the Outcasts from their cages.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
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
If that means the Evil Twin Pink Pineapple, prepare for a goblet of roseate brew whose tartness zaps the mouth like a laser.
—Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
Wait to dig the tubers until a killing freeze zaps all the foliage.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Oct. 2025
Fester zaps the whole place, shutting off the power and freeing all the Outcasts from their cages.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zaps
Verb
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Boston Blue slaps a fresh coat of paint on Blue Bloods, the CBS procedural that ended its 14-season run last year.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Dec. 2025
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Speaking with Cocoa Butter about her most memorable roles, Calloway revealed that the moment Ike slaps Jackie came across so emotional and raw because the stunt went wrong.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Opportunity knocks on software stocks, including Microsoft (MSFT), Salesforce (CRM), and ServiceNow (NOW), which all got slammed in Thursday's trading amid pressure on the software sector ETF (IGV) from artificial intelligence (AI) disruption concerns.—
Jeff Kilburg,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
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Julio Cesar Chavez suffers his first loss in 91 fights when Frankie Randall knocks him down in the 11th round and wins the WBC super lightweight championship on a split decision.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For Rios, the celebration hits home — quite literally — as a Bay Area native.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
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The deadline that will accompany the NHL’s Olympic roster freeze, which hits at noon Pacific Time on Wednesday, shouldn’t be viewed as a prequel for the actual trade deadline.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Squad' rep's felon husband smacks phone from reporter 3.—
,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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Just as this monster is about to take out the entire team on the Abyss, a giant boulder flies through the air and smacks him in the face.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Continue reading … POLITICS BAD CALL – Trump admin slams Dems’ ‘call 911 on ICE’ push as reckless, links policy to riots and violent arrests.—
,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Winter storm slams the East While Arizona's system is mostly a light-rain and mountain-snow setup, a sprawling winter storm is creating far bigger problems across the eastern half of the country.—
Hayleigh Evans,
AZCentral.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For podcasts, streams, voiceovers and video calls, this unit punches above its weight.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Jan. 2026
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This is really reminding me of that House episode where the runway model punches another model out and then collapses on the catwalk.—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Poor Indigenous, Black, the people from the favelas, when the police go there and kill 120 people there, and the population basically claps and thinks that that’s great.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
2 Dec. 2025
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Legacy is made from the small, repeatable disciplines no one claps for, but everyone benefits from.—
Cody Bjugan,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
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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
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Fed up with Nicky’s dramatics, Lester uses his elevator crank and whacks the former hard in the back of his neck.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Zaps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zaps. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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