tap
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A conical peg or pin used to close and open the hole or vent in a container.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
tapIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtæp
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
by extension
An object with a tapering conical form like a tap (etymology 1, sense 1); specifically, ellipsis of taproot ("long, tapering root of a plant").
A conical peg or pin used to close and open the hole or vent in a container.
by extension
Liquor drawn through a tap (etymology 1, sense 2.2); hence, a certain kind or quality of liquor; also (figurative, informal), a certain kind or quality of any thing.
by extension
A hollow device used to control the flow of a fluid, such as an alcoholic beverage from a cask, or a gas or liquid in a pipe.
by extension
A device used to listen in secretly on telephone calls or other communications.
by extension
A secret interception of telephone calls or other communications using such a device; also, a recording of such a communication.
verb
Draw from; make good use of
Draw (liquor) from a tap
Pierce in order to draw a liquid from
“Tap a maple tree for its syrup.”
transitive
To draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; also, to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source).
by extensiontransitive
To furnish (a container, etc.) with a tap (noun etymology 1, sense 2.2) so that liquid can be drawn.
Draw from or dip into to get something
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: An object with a tapering conical form like a tap (etymology 1, sense 1); specifically, ellipsis of taproot ("long, tapering root of a plant").
Used this way, tap is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a grammar or language-study use: it describes how language works, so it appears in teaching and reference writing.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Formal
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Formal and precise
Where it naturally appears
- Academic writing
- Education/classroom
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
Comfortable in writing and prepared speech; in casual conversation a shorter everyday word usually sounds more natural.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use tap
- “Tap a maple tree for its syrup.”verb
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.