Definition of "zapper" []

• Slang A destructive device, especially one that destroys by means of electric current or radiation: a bug zapper. (noun)
• Slang A remote-control device for switching a television set on and off and for changing channels. (noun)

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.

• "In his lab, Wool constructed an attack mechanism - an RFID "zapper" - from a disposable camera."
• "The zapper was a specialized scanning transmitter that looked like a long-nosed hair dryer."
• "As a result, I noticed a Honda commercial I've never seen before, where a bunch of giant insect gas guzzlers (like a cross between Starship Troopers and a Chevy Tahoe) are thwarted from attacking a Honda Fit by a big bug zapper which is equated to gas mileage of 33 mpg."