tap Hear it!

tap¹ Definition

tap (tap)

transitive verb tapped, tap′·ping

  1. to strike lightly and rapidly
  2. to strike something lightly, and often repeatedly, with
  3. to make or do by tapping to tap a message with the fingers
  4. ☆ to choose or designate, as for membership in a club
  5. to repair (a shoe) by adding a thickness of leather, etc. to the heel or sole

Etymology: ME tappen < OFr taper, prob. of echoic orig.

intransitive verb

  1. to strike a light, rapid blow or a series of such blows
  2. to perform a tap dance
  3. to move with a tapping sound

noun

  1. a light, rapid blow, or the sound made by it
  2. the leather, etc. added in tapping a shoe
    1. a small, metal plate attached to the heel or toe of a shoe, as for tap-dancing
    2. the act or skill of tap-dancing

tap¹ Related Forms
tap′·per noun
tap² Definition

tap (tap)

noun

  1. a device for starting or stopping the flow of liquid in a pipe, barrel, etc.; faucet
  2. a plug, cork, etc. for stopping a hole in a container holding a liquid
  3. liquor of a certain kind or quality, as drawn from a certain tap
  4. taproom
  5. the act or an instance of draining liquid, as from a body cavity
  6. a tool used to cut threads inside a nut, pipe, etc.
  7. ☆ the act or an instance of wiretapping
  8. Elec. a place in a circuit where a connection can be made

Etymology: ME tappe < OE tæppa, akin to Ice tappi < IE *dāp- < base *da-, to divide > tide

transitive verb tapped, tap′·ping

  1. to put a tap or spigot on
  2. to make a hole in for drawing off liquid to tap a sugar maple
  3. to pull out the tap or plug from
  4. to draw (liquid) from a container, cavity, etc.
  5. to draw upon; make use of to tap new resources
    1. to make a connection with (a water main, electrical circuit, etc.)
    2. ☆ to make a secret connection with (a telephone line) in order to overhear or record private conversations
  7. to cut threads on the inner surface of (a nut, pipe, etc.)
  8. Slang to borrow or get money from

Etymology: ME tappen < OE tæppian < the n.

intransitive verb

to use, draw upon, make a connection with, etc.: with into

tap² Related Forms
tap′·per noun
tap² Idioms

on tap

  1. in a tapped or open cask (of liquor) and ready to be drawn; on draft
  2. Informal ready for consideration or action
tap Synonyms

tap

n.

  1. A light blow

    pat, rap, dab; see blow 1.

  2. A spigot

    faucet, petcock, valve, spout; see faucet.

  3. A partial sole used for repair

    patch, guard, cover, reinforcement.

on tap

on draft, fresh from the barrel, in the keg, free-flowing, on hand; see also available.

tap Synonyms

tap

v.

  1. To strike lightly

    pat, touch, rap; see hit 1.

  2. To puncture in order to draw liquid

    perforate, pierce, bore, drill, broach, stab, spear, riddle, spike, lance; see also penetrate 1.

    Antonyms close*, seal*, solder. *

  3. To obtain by means of tapping

    draw, draw out, draw forth, pour out, drain, empty.

TAP Hacker Definition
A popular hackerdom newsletter meaning “Technical Assistance Program.” Before the 1970s, it was known as “The Youth International Party Line.” The publishing partner of Yippie guru Abbie Hoffman—Al Bell—changed the name of the newsletter to TAP—The Hobbyists Newsletter for the Communications Revolution. The newsletter was published in New York City from 1971 until 1984. The premise behind the publication was that phreaking did not hurt anyone because telephone calls emanated from an unlimited reservoir. During the reign of the newsletter, which is no longer in circulation, hackers hoarded the mind-numbingly complex articles on such topics as explosives formulas, electronic sabotage blueprints, and credit card fraud. It was in TAP that peculiar forms of computer underground spelling were implemented, such as substituting “z” for “s,” 0 (zero) for O (the letter) and spelling the word “freak” as “phreak.” The eccentricities introduced decades ago remain in the hacker community today.

Hacker Cheshire Catalyst (a.k.a. Richard Cheshire) was the last editor of TAP. Cheshire says that the title was changed to “Technological Assistance Program” from its original “Technological American Party (TAP)” when the editorial team found it difficult to open a bank account without being a bona fide political party.

See Also: Bell, Al and Hoffman, Abbie Team; Cheshire Calalyst and TAP; Phreaking.

Schell, B.H., Dodge, J.L., with S.S. Moutsatsos. The Hacking of America: Who’s Doing It, Why, and How. Westport, CT: Quorum Books, 2002; The Cheshire Catalyst Home Page. The TAP Newsletter Page. [Online, February 4, 1996.] Cheshire Catalyst’s Website. http://cheshire catalyst.com/tap.html.
tap Telecom Definition
  1. A temporary physical connection to a metallic circuit. See also bridged tap and circuit.
  2. A wiretap, or secret temporary connection to a circuit for purposes of monitoring the information being transmitted across it. See also wiretap.
  3. In Power over Ethernet (PoE), a picker that acts as a splitter, picking off the 48V DC voltage, making it available to the PoE-compliant device at 5V, 6V, or 12V DC, for example. See also DC, PoE, splitter, and voltage.
tap Usage Examples

Object

  • washer: The course has been invaluable to me in all aspects of plumbing, from changing a tap washer to installing a central heating system.
  • dancing: In his early years Andrew Feest studied judo, gymnastics, modern ballet and tap dancing.
  • connector: Remove the bath panel and check the tap connectors and the pipes supplying the bath.
  • water: They intended to tap the water to get the coal beyond the water.
  • syllabus: The music is graded from Primary to Grade V and is compatible with the ISTD tap grades syllabus.
  • screw: Attachment is with self tapping screws to avoid thermal distortions of the type induced in the present surface by spot welding.

Converse of object

  • drip: Even a single dripping tap can let 10 liters go to waste every day.
  • leak: In one day a leaking tap can waste enough water to fill a bath.

Adjective modifier

  • flush: Clean and disinfect the toilet, toilet flush, taps and door handle regularly with a disinfectant.
  • spinal: Title: Dr. Henry writes about spinal taps Author(s ): Henry Holland MD Original Publication: SJU Polio mailing list.
  • cold: I bought a hose and devided it in two to provide water from both the hot and cold taps.

Preposition: into

  • vein: In this, Hernando de Soto, has tapped into a rich vein of thinking in both law and economics.

Preposition: on

  • shoulder: A little later I feel a tap on the shoulder and find Abdul indicating that he would like some more.

Noun used with modifier

  • mixer: Claw foot roll top free standing bath with shower mixer taps, wash basin, toilet.
  • chrome: Quality bathrooms Villeroy & Boch Subway range suites with Hansgrohe chrome taps.
  • lever: Am I eligible for lever taps, lowering a cistern or having a grab rail of some sort fitted in my home?
  • spray: You may have used spray taps in places like motorway service areas.
  • bathroom: Dream bathrooms have been realized and completed based on the beauty of our unique bathroom taps.
  • bath: It has also still got two large bath taps attached.

Present participle complement

  • drip: Never leave a tap dripping in cold weather and leave the plug in sinks, basin and baths.
tap Quotes

   Scientists should be on tap, but not on top.

—Churchill, Lord Randolph Henry Spencer

He bathes daily in a running tap of words.

—Moore, Brian

Browse dictionary entries near tap

  1. ‹ Taos
  2. ‹ Taoism
  3. ‹ Tao
  4. ‹ tanzanite
  5. ‹ Tanzania
  6. ‹ Tanya
  7. ‹ tantrum
  8. ‹ tantra
  9. ‹ tanto
  10. ‹ tantivy
  1. tap dance ›
  2. tap pants ›
  3. tap water ›
  4. tapa ›
  5. Tapajós ›
  6. tape ›
  7. tape deck ›
  8. tape grass ›
  9. tape loop ›
  10. tape measure ›