as in slaps
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
zapped the annoying bug with a swatter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of zaps
Ace zaps back, letting loose a laugh punctuated with manic handclaps.
—
Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
If that means the Evil Twin Pink Pineapple, prepare for a goblet of roseate brew whose tartness zaps the mouth like a laser.
—Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
Wait to dig the tubers until a killing freeze zaps all the foliage.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Oct. 2025
Fester zaps the whole place, shutting off the power and freeing all the Outcasts from their cages.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zaps
Verb
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The tarp slaps the frame of the truck’s roof.—
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As the scrum disperses, D’Angelo turns to you and slaps you five.—
Verb
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Three weeks later, in early October, Kim knocks on Helen’s door.—
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One of the biggest knocks on him is his lack of experience.—
Verb
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In exchange for Sonis, Summit FC sent $120,000 to Louisville, a sum that could rise to $160,000 if Sonis hits certain performance conditions.—
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Keeping the Uconnect infotainment system in play is also a win for the Stellantis brand with its extremely simplistic useability, which really hits home for many.—
Verb
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Quietly handling the cornbread, with a buttery scent that smacks you right in the face, is her paternal grandmother.—
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As the scene unfolds, the gorilla suddenly lifts its arm and smacks the glass, causing a crack.—
Verb
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But dropping the gloves can feel like an exasperating last act born of desperation and hopelessness - a door that slams behind you, leaves you in the dark and seldom reopens.—
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Trump slams Mamdani after primary win Mamdani’s primary victory shocked the political establishment and excited progressives.—
Verb
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Coley punches back, and Sonya manages to pull her off of him.—
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Red Masks hold Fiona back Fiona as Constance punches her multiple times.—
Verb
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Poor Indigenous, Black, the people from the favelas, when the police go there and kill 120 people there, and the population basically claps and thinks that that’s great.—
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Legacy is made from the small, repeatable disciplines no one claps for, but everyone benefits from.—
Verb
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Then little Holly Wheeler and her 10-year-old friends, including the Season 5 favorite Derek (Jake Connelly), all swarm into the basement and take over the D&D table in a passing of the torch that basically whacks the audience over our collective heads.—
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Fed up with Nicky’s dramatics, Lester uses his elevator crank and whacks the former hard in the back of his neck.—
Cite this Entry
“Zaps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zaps. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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