tapping
(noun) the sound of light blow or knock; “he heard the tapping of the man’s cane”
solicit, beg, tap
(verb) make a solicitation or entreaty for something; request urgently or persistently; “Henry IV solicited the Pope for a divorce”; “My neighbor keeps soliciting money for different charities”
exploit, tap
(verb) draw from; make good use of; “we must exploit the resources we are given wisely”
tap, tip
(verb) strike lightly; “He tapped me on the shoulder”
tap
(verb) cut a female screw thread with a tap
tap
(verb) pierce in order to draw a liquid from; “tap a maple tree for its syrup”; “tap a keg of beer”
tap
(verb) draw (liquor) from a tap; “tap beer in a bar”
tapdance, tap
(verb) dance and make rhythmic clicking sounds by means of metal plates nailed to the sole of the dance shoes; “Glover tapdances better than anybody”
tap
(verb) walk with a tapping sound
tap, rap, knock, pink
(verb) make light, repeated taps on a surface; “he was tapping his fingers on the table impatiently”
wiretap, tap, intercept, bug
(verb) tap a telephone or telegraph wire to get information; “The FBI was tapping the phone line of the suspected spy”; “Is this hotel room bugged?”
tap
(verb) draw from or dip into to get something; “tap one’s memory”; “tap a source of money”
tap
(verb) furnish with a tap or spout, so as to be able to draw liquid from it; “tap a cask of wine”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
tapping (plural tappings)
An act of making a light hit or strike against something.
(music) A guitar technique in which the strings are tapped against the fingerboard
The process by which a resource is tapped or exploited.
tapping
present participle of tap
Source: Wiktionary
Tap, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tapped; p. pr. & vb. n. Tapping.] Etym: [F. taper to strike; of Teutonic origin; cf. dial. G. tapp, tapps, a blow, tappe a paw, fist, G. tappen to grope.]
1. To strike with a slight or gentle blow; to touch gently; to rap lightly; to pat; as, to tap one with the hand or a cane.
2. To put a new sole or heel on; as, to tap shoes.
Tap, n. Etym: [Cf. F. tape. See Tap to strike.]
1. A gentle or slight blow; a light rap; a pat. Addison.
2. A piece of leather fastened upon the bottom of a boot or shoe in repairing or renewing the sole or heel.
3. pl. (Mil.)
Definition: A signal, by drum or trumpet, for extinguishing all lights in soldiers' quarters and retiring to bed, -- usually given about a quarter of an hour after tattoo. Wilhelm.
Tap, v. i.
Definition: To strike a gentle blow.
Tap, n. Etym: [AS. tæppa, akin to D. tap, G. zapfen, OHG. zapfo, Dan. tap, Sw. tapp, Icel. tappi. Cf. Tampion, Tip.]
1. A hole or pipe through which liquor is drawn.
2. A plug or spile for stopping a hole pierced in a cask, or the like; a faucet.
3. Liquor drawn through a tap; hence, a certain kind or quality of liquor; as, a liquor of the same tap. [Colloq.]
4. A place where liquor is drawn for drinking; a taproom; a bar. [Colloq.]
5. (Mech.)
Definition: A tool for forming an internal screw, as in a nut, consisting of a hardened steel male screw grooved longitudinally so as to have cutting edges. On tap. (a) Ready to be drawn; as, ale on tap. (b) Broached, or furnished with a tap; as, a barrel on tap.
– Plug tap (Mech.), a screw-cutting tap with a slightly tapering end.
– Tap bolt, a bolt with a head on one end and a thread on the other end, to be screwed into some fixed part, instead of passing through the part and receiving a nut. See Illust. under Bolt.
– Tap cinder (Metal.), the slag of a puddling furnace.
Tap, v. t.
1. To pierce so as to let out, or draw off, a fluid; as, to tap a cask, a tree, a tumor, etc.
2. Hence, to draw from (anything) in any analogous way; as, to tap telegraph wires for the purpose of intercepting information; to tap the treasury.
3. To draw, or cause to flow, by piercing. Shak. He has been tapping his liquors. Addison.
4. (Mech.)
Definition: To form an internal screw in (anything) by means of a tool called a tap; as, to tap a nut.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
31 March 2025
(adjective) done or made using whatever is available; “crossed the river on improvised bridges”; “the survivors used jury-rigged fishing gear”; “the rock served as a makeshift hammer”
The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.
