zap

See also: Zap

English

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zæp/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æp

Noun

zap (plural zaps)

1. (colloquial) A sound made by a sudden release of electricity or some similar energy.
2. (colloquial) An electric shock.

   You might feel a little zap touching a metal doorknob when the air is dry.

3. A raucous public demonstration designed to embarrass a public figure or celebrity as a form of political activism.
   • 1998, Raymond A. Smith, Encyclopedia of AIDS

     Black AIDS activists were caught in the middle of a nearly yearlong series of zaps.

   • 2011, Michael Schiavi, Celluloid Activist: The Life and Times of Vito Russo (page 84)

     When a zap at Brooklyn's Board of Education opened no dialogue on discrimination suffered by gay teachers, GAA targeted the BOE offices on April 13.

Translations

sound

electrical shock

• Catalan: fiblada
• Italian: scossa (it) f

• Spanish: corrientazo m

Verb

zap (third-person singular simple present zaps, present participle zapping, simple past and past participle zapped)

1. To make a zapping sound.
2. To use a remote control to repeatedly change channels on a television.
3. To strike (something or someone) with electricity or energy, as by shooting.

   They spent the whole movie zapping bad guys into oblivion.

4. (US, military, slang, transitive) To kill; to eliminate.
   • 1966, U.S. News & World Report (volume 61, page 32)

     Says a U. S. officer: "We zapped the enemy, now we intend to stick around. […]

5. To damage (especially electronics) with electrostatic discharge.

   I think they zapped the processor.

6. To heat (something) in a microwave oven.

   If it's not warm in the middle; zap it some more.

7. To delete or discard (electronic media).

   They zapped a lot of files before realizing they had not backed up lately.

8. To further energize or charge (magnetic material).

   They zapped my motor's magnets.

Descendants

• Catalan: zàping
• Dutch: zappen
• Esperanto: zapi
• Galician: zapping, zapear
• German: zappen

• French: zapping, zapper
• Spanish: zapping, zapear
• Swedish: zappa

Translations

make a zapping sound

change channels repeatedly

• Catalan: fer zàping m
• Dutch: zappen (nl)
• Esperanto: zapi
• French: zapper (fr), faire du zapping
• Galician: zapear

• German: zappen (de)
• Portuguese: zapear (pt)
• Spanish: zapear (es)
• Swedish: zappa (sv)

strike with energy

• Japanese: (colloquial) なぐる (ja) (naguru), 殺す (ja) (korosu)

damage with electrostatic discharge

heat in a microwave oven

delete (electronic media)

• Japanese: 削除する (sakujo suru)

Interjection

zap!

1. Representing the sound or action of a zap.

   Then the computer went zap and I lost all my work.

Translations

representing the sound of a zap

• Italian: zaff

---

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

zap

1. first-person singular present indicative of zappen
2. imperative of zappen