1
—used to express a sound made by or as if by a gun
2
—used to indicate a sudden or instantaneous occurrence
zapped; zapping; zaps
1
a
: to get rid ofdestroyor kill especially with or as if with sudden force
b
: to hit with or as if with a sudden concentrated application of force or energy
c
: to irradiate especially with microwaves
2
a
: to propel suddenly or speedily
b
: to transport instantaneously
3
: to avoid watching (somethingsuch as a television commercial) by changing channels especially with a remote control or by fast-forwarding
1
: to move with speed or force
2
: to change television channels using a remote control
Examples of zap in a Sentence
Verb
The flowers were zapped by the cold weather.
The aliens in the movie zapped people from spaceships.
She reheated her muffin by zapping it in the microwave for a few seconds.
I zapped through the channels for a while before falling asleep.
We tape the show so we can zap through the commercials.
Recent Examples on the Web
Shawn McFarlandDallas Morning News9 Mar. 2026
Between freezing air outside and bone-dry heat indoorsmoisture gets zapped fastleaving behind frizzstaticand ends that feel crunchy.
—Christa Joanna LeeAllure20 Feb. 2026
Tribune News ServiceBaltimore Sun19 Feb. 2026
In the Boston areaa train with lasers mounted in front zaps the rails to deal with leaf slurry that creates an oil slick.
—Doug RossChicago Tribune1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for zap
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Verb
Thatpaired with a mechanical issue that zapped his pull-side power and created more pop-upswere a nasty combo for a first baseman expected to slug.
—Shawn McFarlandDallas Morning News9 Mar. 2026
Between freezing air outside and bone-dry heat indoorsmoisture gets zapped fastleaving behind frizzstaticand ends that feel crunchy.
—Christa Joanna LeeAllure20 Feb. 2026
Noun
After activity guide Ella Daniels fiddled with the laptop connected to the machinea zap.
—Tribune News ServiceBaltimore Sun19 Feb. 2026
In the Boston areaa train with lasers mounted in front zaps the rails to deal with leaf slurry that creates an oil slick.
—Doug RossChicago Tribune1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for zap
Cite this Entry
“Zap.” Merriam-Webster.com DictionaryMerriam-Websterhttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zap. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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