noun
- The sound made by a gentle blow.
- A gentle blow.
- A faucet for drawing water from a pipe or cask.
- synonyms: water faucet, water tap, tap, hydrant
- A small metal plate that attaches to the toe or heel of a shoe (as in tap dancing.
- synonyms: tap
- A tool for cutting female (internal) screw threads.
- synonyms: tap
- A plug for a bunghole in a cask.
- The act of tapping a telephone or telegraph line to get information.
- A light touch or stroke.
- Military) signal to turn the lights out.
- synonyms: lights-out
verb
- Cut a female screw thread with a tap.
- synonyms: tap
- Draw from or dip into to get something.
- usage: "tap one's memory"; "tap a source of money"
- synonyms: tap
- Strike lightly.
- usage: "He tapped me on the shoulder"
- Draw from; make good use of.
- usage: "we must exploit the resources we are given wisely"
- Tap a telephone or telegraph wire to get information.
- usage: "The FBI was tapping the phone line of the suspected spy"; "Is this hotel room bugged"
- Furnish with a tap or spout, so as to be able to draw liquid from it.
- usage: "tap a cask of wine"
- synonyms: tap
- Make light, repeated taps on a surface.
- usage: "he was tapping his fingers on the table impatiently"
- Walk with a tapping sound.
- synonyms: tap
- Dance and make rhythmic clicking sounds by means of metal plates nailed to the sole of the dance shoes.
- usage: "Glover tapdances better than anybody"
- Draw (liquor) from a tap.
- usage: "tap beer in a bar"
- synonyms: tap
- Pierce in order to draw a liquid from.
- usage: "tap a maple tree for its syrup"; "tap a keg of beer"
- synonyms: tap
- Make a solicitation or entreaty for something; request urgently or persistently.
- usage: "Henry IV solicited the Pope for a divorce"; "My neighbor keeps soliciting money for different charities"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). taps. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/taps/definitions/1217643 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "taps" http://smartdefine.org/taps/definitions/1217643 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, taps, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/taps/definitions/1217643>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "taps" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/taps/definitions/1217643> |