zap

See also: Zap and żąp

Translingual

Symbol

zap

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Zapotec.

English

Etymology

1920s, American English, of imitative origin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zæp/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æp

Noun

zap (plural zaps)

1. (colloquial) A sound made by a sudden release of electricity or some similar energy.
2. (colloquial) An electric shock.

   You might feel a little zap touching a metal doorknob when the air is dry.

3. A raucous public demonstration designed to embarrass a public figure or celebrity as a form of political activism.
   • 1998, Raymond A. Smith, Encyclopedia of AIDS:

     Black AIDS activists were caught in the middle of a nearly yearlong series of zaps.

   • 2011, Michael Schiavi, Celluloid Activist: The Life and Times of Vito Russo, page 84:

     When a zap at Brooklyn's Board of Education opened no dialogue on discrimination suffered by gay teachers, GAA targeted the BOE offices on April 13.

4. (slang) The act of heating something in a microwave oven.
   • 2015, Thomas E. Johnson, West Meets East in Kazakhstan:

     The guest immediately asked the bartender to give his drink a zap in the microwave oven behind him […]

Derived terms

• brain zap

Translations

sound

• German: Funkenschlag m

electrical shock

• Catalan: fiblada (ca)
• German: (elektrischer) Schlag m
• Italian: scossa (it) f
• Spanish: corrientazo (es) m

Verb

zap (third-person singular simple present zaps, present participle zapping, simple past and past participle zapped)

1. (intransitive) To make a zap sound.
2. To use a remote control to repeatedly change channels on a television.

   Synonyms: channel surf, channel hop

3. To strike (something or someone) with electricity or energy, as by shooting.

   They spent the whole movie zapping bad guys into oblivion.

4. (US, military, slang, transitive) To kill; to eliminate.
   • 1966, U.S. News & World Report, volume 61, page 32:

     Says a U. S. officer: "We zapped the enemy, now we intend to stick around. […]

5. (slang, transitive) To damage (especially electronics) with electrostatic discharge.

   I think they zapped the processor.

6. (slang, transitive) To heat (something) in a microwave oven.

   If it's not warm in the middle, zap it some more.

7. (slang, transitive) To delete or discard (electronic media).

   They zapped a lot of files before realizing they had not backed up lately.

8. (slang, transitive) To further energize or charge (magnetic material).

   They zapped my motor's magnets.

9. (Singapore, informal, transitive) To photocopy.
   • 2004 October 19, Kevin & Lily Shepherdson, “Digital Life”, in The Straits Times, Singapore, page 16:

     Got to go and zap this document now.

10. To participate in a zap (protest) against.
    • 1976 April 3, 'A. Nolder Gay', “The View From The Closet”, in Gay Community News, page 16:

      We are periodically assailed with appeals to help block this or censor that or zap the other media presentation which one or other of us thinks (often with justice) is injurious to gays or others.

Derived terms

• zap 'em up
• zap over
• zap up

 

Descendants

• Catalan: zàping
• Dutch: zappen
• Esperanto: zapi
• French: zapping, zapper
• Galician: zapear, zapping
• German: zappen
• Portuguese: zapear, zapar, zapping
• Spanish: zapping, zapear
• Swedish: zappa

Translations

make a zapping sound

change channels repeatedly

• Catalan: fer zàping m
• Dutch: zappen (nl)
• Esperanto: zapi
• French: zapper (fr), faire du zapping
• Galician: zapear
• German: zappen (de)
• Portuguese: zapear (pt) (Brazil), zapar (pt) (Brazil), fazer zapping
• Spanish: zapear (es), hacer zapping
• Swedish: zappa (sv)

strike with energy

• Japanese: (colloquial) なぐる (ja) (naguru), 殺す (ja) (korosu)

damage with electrostatic discharge

heat in a microwave oven

• Swedish: mikra (sv)

delete (electronic media)

• French: enlever (fr)
• Japanese: 削除する (sakujo suru)

Interjection

zap!

1. Representing the sound or action of a zap.

   Then the computer went zap and I lost all my work.

   • 1975, Rennie Ellis, editors, Australian Graffiti, page [1]:

     Zap is a comic-book hero - Zap! Powie! Kazoom!; why have you retired, Zap, when we need you so much?

Translations

representing the sound of a zap

• Italian: zaff
• Swedish: pang (sv)
• Thai: จี๊ด (jíit)

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

zap

1. inflection of zappen:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative

Portuguese

Etymology

Clipping of WhatsApp.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈzap/, /ˈza.pi/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈzap/, /ˈza.pi/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈzap/, /ˈza.pe/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈzap/, /ˈza.pɨ/

Noun

zap m (usually uncountable, plural zaps)

1. (Brazil, informal) WhatsApp
   • 2022, “Chama No Zap BB”, in Valzito (music), Junho 2k22, performed by Fernando Pisadinha ft. DJ Ivis and Nuzio Medeiros, MBC Music:

     Se na hora do off / Ele não sabe fazer / Chama no zap bb

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2024 September 7, Antonio Prata, “Venho, por meio desta”, in Folha de S.Paulo‎^[1]:

     No grupo de zap "Compras réveillon 2017" surgem discussões acaloradas sobre o melhor acordo de cessar fogo entre Israel e Palestina.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Romanian

Interjection

zap

1. Alternative form of zapa

Yola

Etymology

From Middle English soppe, from Old English sopa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zap/

Noun

zap

1. sup

References

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 80