as in drummed
to strike or cause to strike lightly and usually rhythmically
tapped her foot in time to the music kept tapping the desk with his pencil
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in drained
to remove (liquid) gradually or completely
the oil company tapped that first well completely dry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tapped
Hedy Phillips, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
Celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Hailey Bieber have tapped into the trend; Aniston paired her cigarette jeans with a cozy sweater and puffer jacket, while Bieber opted for a sleek black top.
—Annie Blackman, InStyle, 11 Jan. 2026
When Mayor Mamdani tapped Kamar Samuels to lead New York City’s public schools, the chancellor could’ve expected his new gig would involve putting out fires — metaphorically.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 10 Jan. 2026
Hezekiah gets tapped by the queen’s goddaughter, Victoria Davies (Aliyah Odoffin), to train a member of the royal family in boxing, which allows Hezekiah and Victoria to bond over their status as Black people in a heavily white London.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
The first-stage booster that had been tapped during the original attempts was discarded for a new booster.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2026
But in recent years, some viral exchanges between a handful of influencers and A-list stars have generated scrutiny over why creators are getting tapped for major entertainment events.
—Saba Hamedy, NBC news, 9 Jan. 2026
Drawing from that inspiration, Corbett tapped into his own vast Rolodex in the hockey world and got in touch with a couple of people who are on the HHOF committee, both of whom were sympathetic to his cause.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
This isn’t the first time Timberland has tapped Horween for extra-premium Premium Waterproof Boots.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 8 Nov. 2025
Verb
Meanwhile, Storrie, who plays Russian hockey player Ilya Rozanov in Heated Rivalry, was tapped to help announce the nominations for this year's Actor Awards (formerly known as the SAG Awards).
—Cite this Entry
“Tapped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tapped. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share