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Meaning of tap in English
Pronunciation
/tæp/
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Verb
tap
Etymology
Middle English: from Old French taper, or of imitative origin; compare with clap and rap
Definitions
1.
cut a female screw thread with a tap
2.
draw from or dip into to get something
Examples
« tap one's memory »
« tap a source of money »
3.
strike lightly
Examples
« He tapped me on the shoulder »
4.
draw from
Examples
« make good use of »
« we must exploit the resources we are given wisely »
5.
tap a telephone or telegraph wire to get information
Examples
« The FBI was tapping the phone line of the suspected spy »
« Is this hotel room bugged? »
6.
furnish with a tap or spout, so as to be able to draw liquid from it
Examples
« tap a cask of wine »
7.
make light, repeated taps on a surface
Examples
« he was tapping his fingers on the table impatiently »
8.
walk with a tapping sound
9.
dance and make rhythmic clicking sounds by means of metal plates nailed to the sole of the dance shoes
Examples
« Glover tapdances better than anybody »
10.
draw (liquor) from a tap
Examples
« tap beer in a bar »
11.
pierce in order to draw a liquid from
Examples
« tap a maple tree for its syrup »
« tap a keg of beer »
12.
make a solicitation or entreaty for something
Examples
« request urgently or persistently »
« Henry IV solicited the Pope for a divorce »
« My neighbor keeps soliciting money for different charities »
Noun
tap
Etymology
Old English tæppa ‘peg for the vent-hole of a cask’, tæppian ‘provide (a cask) with a stopper’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch tap and GermanZapfen (nouns)
Definitions
1.
the sound made by a gentle blow
2.
a faucet for drawing water from a pipe or cask
3.
a gentle blow
4.
a small metal plate that attaches to the toe or heel of a shoe (as in tap dancing)
5.
a tool for cutting female (internal) screw threads
6.
a plug for a bunghole in a cask
7.
the act of tapping a telephone or telegraph line to get information
8.
a light touch or stroke