Zap Definition

zăp
zapped, zapping, zaps
verb
zapped, zapping, zaps
To move, strike, smash, kill, control, as suddenly and with great speed and force.
Webster's New World
To move, strike, stun, smash, kill, defeat, etc. suddenly and with great speed and force.
Webster's New World
To strike (an object or target) with a beam of energy, an electric current, or supernatural power.
In the movie, the alien zaps the scientist with a ray gun.
American Heritage
To use a remote control to avoid (a TV commercial or program segment), as by changing channels or skipping ahead on a tape, disc, etc.
Webster's New World
To cook or heat in a microwave oven.
Webster's New World
noun
zaps
A burst or beam of energy, electric current, or other power.
A zap of 120 volts.
American Heritage
Energy, verve, pep, zip, etc.
Webster's New World
A sudden and powerful effect.
A zap of fear; a zap of insight.
American Heritage

(colloquial) A sound made by a sudden release of electricity or some similar energy.

Wiktionary
(colloquial) An electrical shock.
You might feel a little zap touching a metal doorknob when the air is dry.
Wiktionary
interjection
Used to signify sudden, swift action or change.
Webster's New World
Representing the sound or action of a zap.
Then the computer went zap and I lost all my work.
Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Zap

Noun

Singular:
zap
Plural:
zaps

Origin of Zap

  • onomatopoeic

    From Wiktionary

  • Imitative

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Zap Is Also Mentioned In

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