(1) In communications, a connection made on a line. For example, a wire tap is the connecting point where a wire to a recording device is attached to the telephone wire for a particular phone line. See transceiver and bridged tap.

(2) (TAP) (Telocator Alphanumeric Protocol) A paging protocol used to transmit up to a thousand 7-bit characters to an alphanumeric pager. Developed in the early 1980s by the Telocator Paging Association, which later became the Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA), TAP was also known as IXO and PET. TAP is widely used in the U.S. and throughout Europe.

(3) To press a button displayed on a touch-sensitive screen or press a key on a keypad.