tap

tap: tap vb Tap, knock, rap, thump, thud can mean, as verbs, to strike or hit audibly or, as nouns, the sound or effect produced by such striking or hitting.

Tap implies a light blow usually repeated (as to attract attention to one's presence, needs, or wishes)

{
tap at her door
}

{
tapping on the window
}

{
she tapped her pencil on the desk for order
}

Knock implies a more forcible blow than tap, often a pounding or hammering (as on a door to call attention to one's need for admittance or on a person's body or head in an attack or a collision)

{
there came a heavy knock on the door
}

{
the messenger knocked loudly to awaken us
}

In extended use knock may imply a sound or an effect that suggests a knocking

{
an automobile engine may knock because of uneven combustion
}

Rap suggests a smart, vigorous striking (as with the knuckles) on a hard surface so as to produce a sharp, quick sound or succession of sounds

{
the chairman rapped sharply for order
}

{
a rap at the door
}

In extended use rap implies utterance that comes as quick and as sharp as rapping

{
rap out a series of commands
}

{
the tired businessman . . . wants his poems snapped at him, rapped at him— Lowes
}

Thump implies the dull, heavy, yet resonant sound made by something that pounds or beats (as the fist upon a table or heavy feet upon the ground) or by something that pulsates forcibly and noisily

{
hear the thump of many feet
}

{
the thumping of a big drum
}

{
the thump of a boat against the pier
}

{
everybody's heart was thumping as hard as possible— Thackeray
}

Thud places more emphasis upon the sound made than upon the action which produces it and carries a less strong suggestion of repetition; also, it more often suggests the sound made by something falling and striking than by something being struck; otherwise it differs only by suggesting a flatter or hollower and less resonant sound than thump

{
the dull thud of a heavy body striking the floor
}

{
a bullet thudded into the wall above me— Hubert Wales
}

Analogous words: *strike, smite: *beat

tap n rap, knock, thump, thud (see under TAP vb)

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Synonyms:

Broach, Gentle blow, light stroke / Rap, strike (lightly), Rap, Spigot, plug, stopper, stopple, spile / Tap-room, bar, tap-house

Look at other dictionaries:

TAP — may refer to: * Tap (valve), controls the release of a liquid or gas * Tap or Flap consonant, a type of consonantal sound * Telephone tapping, the monitoring of telephone conversations by a third party * Tap (transformer), an intermediate… … Wikipedia
tap — [tæp] noun on tap ready for immediate use when you need it: • Foreign currency loans provide you with cash on tap in the appropriate currency. * * * Ⅰ. tap UK US /tæp/ verb ( pp ) ► [I or T] to get or make use of something that exists, such … Financial and business terms
Tap — Tap, n. [AS. t[ae]ppa, 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. [1913 Webster] 2. A plug or spile for stopping a hole pierced in a cask, or the … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
tap — tap1 [tap] vt. tapped, tapping [ME tappen < OFr taper, prob. of echoic orig.] 1. to strike lightly and rapidly 2. to strike something lightly, and often repeatedly, with 3. to make or do by tapping [to tap a message with the fingers ] ☆ 4. to … English World dictionary
ţap — ŢAP, ţapi, s.m. 1. Masculul caprei domestice, al caprei negre şi al căprioarei. ♢ Ţap ispăşitor = a) (în Biblie) ţap (1) pe care marele preot îl încărca la sărbătorirea ispăşirii cu toate păcatele neamului lui Israel şi care era apoi alungat în… … Dicționar Român
Tap — 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, a keg of beer, etc. [1913 Webster] 2. Hence, to draw resources from (a reservoir) in any analogous way; as, to tap someone s knowledge of the Unix … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
tap — [tap] Onomatopée. ❖ ♦ Onomatopée figurant un bruit sec ou bref. || Faire tap, (répété) tap tap. 0 Il n y avait pas de bruit cette nuit, seulement le tap tap un peu plus pressé de l eau qui suintait par la fêlure des boiseries. J. Giono, le Grand… … Encyclopédie Universelle
tap — Ⅰ. tap [1] ► NOUN 1) a device by which a flow of liquid or gas from a pipe or container can be controlled. 2) an instrument for cutting a threaded hole in a material. 3) a device connected to a telephone for listening secretly to conversations.… … English terms dictionary
Tap — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. {{{image}}} Sigles d une seule lettre Sigles de deux lettres > Sigles de trois lettres … Wikipédia en Français
Táp — Administration … Wikipédia en Français

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