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

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

electrical shock

• Catalan: fiblada (ca)
• Italian: scossa (it) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: corrientazo m

Verb

1. To make a zapping sound.
2. To use a remote control to repeatedly change channels on a television.

   Synonyms: channel surf, channel hop

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
• French: zapping, zapper
• Galician: zapear, zapping
• German: zappen
• Portuguese: zapear, zapar, zapping
• Spanish: zapping, zapear
• Swedish: zappa

Translations

make a zapping sound

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

change channels repeatedly

• Catalan: fer zàping m
• Dutch: zappen (nl)
• Esperanto: zapi
• French: zapper (fr), faire du zapping
• Galician: zapear
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: zappen (de)
• Portuguese: zapear (pt), zapar (pt), fazer zapping
• Spanish: zapear (es), hacer zapping
• Swedish: zappa (sv)

strike with energy

• Japanese: (colloquial) なぐる (ja) (naguru), 殺す (ja) (korosu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

damage with electrostatic discharge

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

heat in a microwave oven

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

delete (electronic media)

• French: enlever (fr)
• Japanese: 削除する (sakujo suru)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

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
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

---

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

zap

1. (deprecated template usage) first-person singular present indicative of zappen
2. (deprecated template usage) imperative of zappen

---

Portuguese

Etymology

From the last part of "WhatsApp".

Noun

1. WhatsApp, the messaging service