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Definition of "zap" []

  • To destroy or kill with a burst of gunfire, flame, or electric current. (verb-transitive)
  • To kill or destroy as if by shooting. (verb-transitive)
  • To strike suddenly and forcefully as if with a projectile or weapon: "His . . . narrative runs marvelously on and on, zapping the reader with often surprising and . . . painful glimpses” ( Publishers Weekly). (verb-transitive)
  • To expose to radiation; irradiate: "perfect for those who can't bring themselves to zap food in a microwave” ( John F. Mariani). (verb-transitive)
  • To attack (an enemy) with heavy firepower; strafe or bombard. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "zap" in a sentence
  • "And when such a zap is administered to an unsuspecting, coin-bearing beverage-seeker, a funny thing happens -- dozens of teeny plastic light-up ray guns in the box simultaneously fire a deafening cacophony of BEEYOOO BEEYOOO PATOW PATOW BEEYOOO!"
  • "An incontrovertible supply of bang and zap is important."
  • "Their data does not shed much light on the early code, consisting of prebiotically available amino acids-the kind generated in Stanley Miller's famous "zap" - experiment."