as in drums
to strike or cause to strike lightly and usually rhythmically
tapped her foot in time to the music kept tapping the desk with his pencil
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in drains
to remove (liquid) gradually or completely
the oil company tapped that first well completely dry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of taps
Instyle Editors, InStyle, 11 Feb. 2026
Using 35mm VistaVision cameras to create dreamy and harrowing shots, Fennell taps into her great visual eye and allows beauty and pining to be the center of her adaptation.
—Amanda Luberto, AZCentral.com, 11 Feb. 2026
The campaign taps into the growing cultural crossover between fashion and country, particularly with Gen Z.
—Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 11 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, one-suite Casa da Arvore is a tree house that taps the romance of fantasy shipwreck living—meanwhile, the living room itself is the open, ground floor space with swings, sea chests, and a pebble floor.
—Stephanie Rafanelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
The anticipated case taps into church-state separation concerns that underscored the Catholic charter school dispute.
—Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice, 10 Feb. 2026
Korinko endearingly taps into this.
—Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2026
Kurt's key takeaways Search Party taps into something familiar.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 9 Feb. 2026
This is also the difference between government and the larger idea of governance, which taps the energies and talents of whole communities for building the commonwealth, a reframing of democracy championed by groups like the Institute for Democracy in South Africa.
—Harry Boyte, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
Dr. Carlos A Torre, Hartford Courant, 7 Feb. 2026
When nearly anything can be bought with a few taps on a screen, brick-and-mortar stores have to work harder—and smarter—to earn a visit.
—Margaret Borden, Architectural Digest, 6 Feb. 2026
Lillusory Ribbed Matching Lounge Set This set taps into the ribbed fabric of Jenner’s lounge pants, soft and warm all the while.
—Annie Blackman, InStyle, 5 Feb. 2026
The Men 50+ supplement taps saw palmetto, spermidine, moldavian dragonhead and tributyrin, aiming to boost collagen renewal, cellular health and stress defense.
—Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 3 Feb. 2026
Some of the best local, regional, and global craft beers are on 49 taps, and more than 250 bottles expand the offerings.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Surrounded by filth, the 55-year-old twists his plastic taps regularly, hoping for relief.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026
Use it in an upward motion with light taps underneath to loosen and release the weight.
—Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 31 Jan. 2026
As Maneesh, the doe-eyed Disney Channel alum Karan Brar exudes depressed decency but never quite taps into the messy turmoil that might complicate the coder’s choices.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
For season 1 of The Boss, InStyle Editor in Chief Sally Holmes taps Julia Fox (Uncut Gems, Him, The Moment) as the Temporary-Permanent Ambassador of Slayage in an effort to whip the InStyle team’s style into shape ahead of New York Fashion Week.
—Instyle Editors, InStyle, 11 Feb. 2026
Using 35mm VistaVision cameras to create dreamy and harrowing shots, Fennell taps into her great visual eye and allows beauty and pining to be the center of her adaptation.
—Amanda Luberto, AZCentral.com, 11 Feb. 2026
The campaign taps into the growing cultural crossover between fashion and country, particularly with Gen Z.
—Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 11 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, one-suite Casa da Arvore is a tree house that taps the romance of fantasy shipwreck living—meanwhile, the living room itself is the open, ground floor space with swings, sea chests, and a pebble floor.
—Stephanie Rafanelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
The anticipated case taps into church-state separation concerns that underscored the Catholic charter school dispute.
—Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice, 10 Feb. 2026
Korinko endearingly taps into this.
—Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2026
Kurt's key takeaways Search Party taps into something familiar.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 9 Feb. 2026
This is also the difference between government and the larger idea of governance, which taps the energies and talents of whole communities for building the commonwealth, a reframing of democracy championed by groups like the Institute for Democracy in South Africa.
—Harry Boyte, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
Noun
Bad Bunny’s work taps into this continuum, honoring the everyday forms of resistance that have sustained Puerto Rican life for centuries, from music and dance to language, humor, and mutual aid.
—Dr. Carlos A Torre, Hartford Courant, 7 Feb. 2026
When nearly anything can be bought with a few taps on a screen, brick-and-mortar stores have to work harder—and smarter—to earn a visit.
—Margaret Borden, Architectural Digest, 6 Feb. 2026
Lillusory Ribbed Matching Lounge Set This set taps into the ribbed fabric of Jenner’s lounge pants, soft and warm all the while.
—Annie Blackman, InStyle, 5 Feb. 2026
The Men 50+ supplement taps saw palmetto, spermidine, moldavian dragonhead and tributyrin, aiming to boost collagen renewal, cellular health and stress defense.
—Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 3 Feb. 2026
Some of the best local, regional, and global craft beers are on 49 taps, and more than 250 bottles expand the offerings.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Surrounded by filth, the 55-year-old twists his plastic taps regularly, hoping for relief.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026
Use it in an upward motion with light taps underneath to loosen and release the weight.
—Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 31 Jan. 2026
As Maneesh, the doe-eyed Disney Channel alum Karan Brar exudes depressed decency but never quite taps into the messy turmoil that might complicate the coder’s choices.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taps
valves
Noun
-
These glass valves sucked up power by the hundreds of watts each and pumped out a lot of waste heat.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The expanding ice can crack sprinkler heads, valves, and pipes.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taps. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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