tap1 nountap2 verb
taptap1 /tæp/ ●●○ S3 noun 
WORD ORIGINtap1
Origin:
1, 3, 5, 6 Old English tæppa2, 4, 7 1300-1400 ➔ TAP2EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- I was startled by a light tap at the door.
- She gave Mike a drink of water from the tap.
- The FBI had put a tap on Mitchell's phone line.
- There was a tap at the door.
- What are they doing next door? I can't stand this constant tapping on the wall.
- A tap on the door sounded above the wind.
- A rubber hose-pipe snaked across the yard from the kitchen window, bringing hot water from the tap in the big sink.
- For the second time, there was a tentative tap on the door.
- I am stopped mid-anecdote by an imperious tap on my shoulder.
- The bath looked as if it had been hollowed out of a single lump of the stuff, with monstrous gold dolphins for taps.
- There was a tap on the window as Iris passed on her way to the front door of Hawthorn Cottage.
WORD SETS
AC, accessory, nounadapter, nounaerosol, nounalarm, nounarm, nounash, nounattaché case, nounbag, nounbar, nounbarrel, nounbeep, verbbeeswax, nounbell, nounbelly, nounbelt, nounbench, nounbenzine, nounbinding, nounbiro, nounbolt, nounbooth, nounbox, nounbox, verbbrad, nounbriefcase, nounbristle, nounbrolly, nounbrush, nounbucket, nounbuckle, nounbuffer, nounbulb, nounBulldog clip, nounbulletin board, nounbullhorn, nounbung, nounbunting, nounbusiness card, nounbutt, nounbutton, nounbuzzer, nouncable, nouncalling card, nouncan, nouncandle, nouncane, nouncarbon, nouncarbon copy, nouncarbon paper, nouncard, nouncardboard, nouncardboard, adjectivecardboard cut-out, nouncard catalog, nouncarrier, nouncarrier bag, nouncarryall, nouncart, nouncarton, nouncartridge, nouncase, nouncaster, nouncatch, nounCellophane, nouncesspit, nounchain, nounchalice, nounchannel, nounchart, nounchute, nouncitronella, nounclamp, nouncleat, nounclip, nounclipboard, nouncomb, nouncombination lock, nouncompartment, nouncord, nouncrank, nouncrate, nouncrepe paper, nouncycle, noundetector, noundial, noundigital, adjectivedisposable, adjectivedrape, verbdrawing pin, noundryer, noundurable goods, nounDurex, nounearplug, nounelastic band, nouneraser, nouneyelet, nounfabric, nounfelt-tip pen, nounfemale, adjectivefence, nounfiberglass, nounfibreglass, nounfigurine, nounfilament, nounfile, verbFilofax, nounfire extinguisher, nounfirewood, nounfitness, nounflag, nounflagon, nounflagstaff, nounflashlight, nounflat, adjectivefloodlight, nounfoam, nounfoam, verbfog, verbfolder, nounfoolscap, nounforecourt, nounfountain, nounfountain pen, nounframe, nounfunnel, nounfuse, noungadget, noungadgetry, noungargle, verbgas, nounglue, noungoggles, noungold card, noungranny knot, noungravel, noungravelled, adjectivegravelly, adjectivegrease, noungreetings card, noungrommet, noungum, noungun, noungunnysack, noungut, nounhand-held, adjectivehandle, nounhandloom, nounharness, nounhasp, nounhealth, nounhessian, nounhinge, nounhip, nounhoarding, nounhoist, nounholder, nounhook, nounhoop, nounhooter, nounhose, nounhosepipe, nounhub, nounhygiene, nounhygienic, adjectiveillness, nounindented, adjectiveinflatable, adjectiveingrained, adjectiveink, nouninn, nouninnkeeper, nouninsoluble, adjectiveivory, nounjacket, nounjack-knife, nounjoss stick, nounjuggle, verbkey, nounkeypad, nounkey ring, nounKleenex, nounknife, nounknob, nounlabel, nounladder, nounlantern, nounlatch, nounlatchkey, nounlather, nounlather, verbLCD, nounlead, nounlectern, nounlegal pad, nounlens, nounletterbox, nounlever, nounlibrary, nounlid, nounlidded, adjectivelift, nounlight, nounlight bulb, nounlink, nounlinseed oil, nounlitter bin, nounlock, nounlodestone, nounlog, nounloop, verblost property, nounmagnet, nounmagnetic, adjectivemagnifying glass, nounmale, adjectivemantle, nounmanual, adjectivemarker, nounmarker pen, nounmarket day, nounmast, nounmastic, nounmatchstick, nounmaterial, nounmeter, nounmeths, nounmode, nounmortar, nounmortise lock, nounmould, nounmounting, nounmovement, nounnail, nounnameplate, nounnet, nounnib, nounnipple, nounnon-standard, adjectivenoose, nounnotebook, nounnotepad, nounnoticeboard, nounnozzle, nounnut, nounoil, verboilcan, nounoily, adjectiveorb, nounoutfit, nounoutlet, nounovernight, adverbpack, verbpackage, nounpad, nounpad, verbpadlock, nounpaintwork, nounpantyliner, nounpaper, nounpaperclip, nounpasserby, nounpaste, verbpasteboard, nounpatron, nounpatronage, nounpatronize, verbpattern, nounpaving, nounpearl, nounpen, nounpenknife, nounpicket fence, nounpillbox, nounpince-nez, nounpinhead, nounpipe, nounpix, nounpizza parlor, nounplug, nounpocket, nounpocketbook, nounpocket calculator, nounpocket knife, nounpointer, nounpoison, nounpole, nounportfolio, nounPost-it, nounpowder, nounpowdered, adjectivepropellant, nounpropelling pencil, nounpump-action, adjectivePX, nounquarter, verbrack, nounreceptionist, nounreel, nounrefill, nounreflector, nounrefrigerate, verbregimen, nounreservation, nounreserve, verbsachet, nounsack, nounscratchpad, nounscratch paper, nounscreen, nounsealant, nounsealer, nounsearchlight, nounseason ticket, nounseat, nounself-assembly, adjectiveseptic tank, nounservice, nounservice, verbsetting, nounshade, nounsharpener, nounshovel, nounshovel, verbshovelful, nounsilver paper, nounsiphon, nounslat, nounslice, verbslot machine, nounslug, nounsmoke, nounsoot, nounsort, nounspare part, nounspigot, nounsponge, nounspool, nounspout, nounspray, nounspray can, nounspray paint, nounspring, nounstaff, nounstake, nounstalk, nounstandard, nounstaple, nounstapler, nounstationery, nounsteam, nounsteam clean, verbsteel, nounsteel wool, nounstepladder, nounstick, verbstick, nounsticker, nounstilt, nounstopper, nounstorm lantern, nounstrap, nounstreamer, nounstring, nounstub, nounsucker, nounSuperglue, nounswipe, verbswitch, nounswivel, nountab, nountack, nountag, nountag, verbtank, nountap, nountape, nountassel, nountattle, verbtea break, nounthong, nounthread, nountime-saving, adjectivetinder, nountinderbox, nountissue, nountop, nountote bag, nountowel, verbtray, nountrolley, nountube, nountubing, nountwine, nountwo-way mirror, nounumbrella, nounvent, nounvial, nounwaiting room, nounwasher, nounwaste paper, nounwatch, nounwaterspout, nounwheeled, adjectivewhistle, verbwooden, adjectivewriting paper, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Meaning 1verbs
The tap’s dripping. She gently turned the handle of the bedroom door. ‘I’m thirsty,’ she said, turning on the tap.
· Run some cold water into the bath before turning on the hot tap.
· I forgot to turn the tap off.
(=make water flow out of it)· She stood at the sink, running the tap to get a glass of cold water.
(=water is flowing out of it)· I think you must have left the tap running.
(=drops of water are coming out of it)· If the tap is dripping, change the washer.
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + tap· She scrubbed her hands under the cold tap.
· The water coming out of the kitchen tap had an odd smell.
British English (=one through which cold and hot water can run together)· He fitted a mixer tap to the bath.
· Wash the cut under a running tap.
· I could hear a dripping tap.
(=with drops of water coming from the end)· The leaky tap had left a stain in the washbasin.
tap + NOUN (=water that comes out of a tap)· In the test, people preferred tap water to bottled mineral waters.
Meaning 2adjectives· There was a gentle tap on the door.
· A few sharp taps with a hammer will force the nail through the surface.
verbs· She gave the dog a gentle tap with her umbrella.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES British English· The water coming out of the bath taps was freezing cold.
(=hit it very gently)· I tapped on the door and opened it.
The tap’s dripping. (=bang them gently on the ground)· She was tapping her feet in time with the music.
(=take them from an area)· Several nations are eager to tap the mineral resources in Antarctica.
She gently turned the handle of the bedroom door. ‘I’m thirsty,’ she said, turning on the tap. (=water that comes out of a tap)· The tap water is not safe to drink.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► taps
1- Plenty of good food will be on tap for the Memorial Day celebration.
water/gas [countable] especially British English a piece of equipment for controlling the flow of water, gas etc from a pipe or container SYN faucet American English: Tap water (=water that comes out of a tap) is usually heavily treated with chemicals. She went into the bathroom and turned on the taps.kitchen/bath/garden tap I washed my hands under the kitchen tap.cold/hot tap (=the tap that cold or hot water comes from)2a light hit [countable] an act of hitting something lightly, especially to get someone’s attentiontap at/on She felt a tap on her shoulder. There was a tap at the door.3on tap a)beer that is on tap comes from a barrel b)informal something that is on tap is ready to use when you need it: We’ve got all the information on tap.4dancing [uncountable] (also tap dancing) dancing in which you wear special shoes with pieces of metal on the bottom which make a loud sharp sound on the floor5telephone [countable] an act of secretly listening to someone’s telephone, using electronic equipment: The police had put a tap on his phone line.6barrel [countable] a specially shaped object used for letting liquid out of a barrel, especially beer7tune taps [plural] a song or tune played on the bugle at night in an army camp, and at military funeralsCOLLOCATIONS– Meaning 1verbsturn on a tap· Run some cold water into the bath before turning on the hot tap.turn off a tap· I forgot to turn the tap off.run a tap (=make water flow out of it)· She stood at the sink, running the tap to get a glass of cold water.a tap is running (=water is flowing out of it)· I think you must have left the tap running.a tap is dripping (=drops of water are coming out of it)· If the tap is dripping, change the washer.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + tapthe cold/hot tap· She scrubbed her hands under the cold tap.the kitchen/bath/garden tap· The water coming out of the kitchen tap had an odd smell.a mixer tap British English (=one through which cold and hot water can run together)· He fitted a mixer tap to the bath.a running tap· Wash the cut under a running tap.a dripping tap· I could hear a dripping tap.a leaking/leaky tap (=with drops of water coming from the end)· The leaky tap had left a stain in the washbasin.tap + NOUNtap water (=water that comes out of a tap)· In the test, people preferred tap water to bottled mineral waters.COLLOCATIONS– Meaning 2adjectivesa gentle/light/soft tap· There was a gentle tap on the door.a sharp tap· A few sharp taps with a hammer will force the nail through the surface.verbsgive something/somebody a tap· She gave the dog a gentle tap with her umbrella.tap1 nountap2 verb
taptap2 ●●○ verb (past tense and past participle tapped, present participle tapping) WORD ORIGINtap2
Origin:
1-2, 8-10 1100-1200 Old French taper ‘to hit with the flat part of the hand’3-7 Old English tæppianVERB TABLE
tap
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | tap |
| he, she, it | taps | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | tapped |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have tapped |
| he, she, it | has tapped | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had tapped |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will tap |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have tapped |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am tapping |
| he, she, it | is tapping | |
| you, we, they | are tapping | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was tapping |
| you, we, they | were tapping | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been tapping |
| he, she, it | has been tapping | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been tapping |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be tapping |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been tapping |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Daley read the notes, tapping a pencil on the desk.
- Investigators had tapped the drug dealer's phone line.
- Is that someone tapping on the door?
- It sounded as though something outside was tapping against the window.
- Later we realized our phones had been tapped and the police knew everything.
- Reinhardt was tapped for the federal bench in 1980 by former President Carter.
- She tapped on the window to attract his attention.
- The rain forest theme products tap into consumer interest in the environment.
- The whole crowd was clapping and tapping their feet to the music.
- To continue the research project, the university plans to tap funds primarily from private foundations.
- Williams is expected to be tapped as the new director of operations.
- Edouard was tapping the table idly with one finger, which Isobel knew was a sign of irritation.
- He tapped the cigarette briskly against the packet, placed it negligently between his lips and lit it.
- His chip shot came up an inch short and he tapped in for par.
- In other cases it was apparent that a new pedestrian population was being tapped as turnover rose markedly on shop opening.
- In some circumstances, such partnerships can, in fact, tap the tax-exempt market.
- Nor did I telephone Edusha the police might be tapping the line.
- She would tap out a cigarette and pretend to smoke it, as if on break.
THESAURUSto hit something
· Jack hit the ball and it flew over the fence.
to hit a door or window with your closed hand in order to attract the attention of the people inside: · Someone was knocking on the door.· I knocked loudly but no one came.
written to hit a surface. Strike is more formal than hit and is mainly used in written English: · The ball struck the side of the goal.
informal to hit something very hard: · Edmonds whacked the ball into the air.
to hit something hard, especially in a way that causes damage: · The police had to bash the door down to get in.
to gently hit something with your fingers, often in order to attract someone’s attention: · I tapped him on the shoulder.· I heard someone tapping on the window.
to knock quickly or hit something several times: · He rapped the table with his pen to bring the meeting to order.· Two police officers rapped on the door at 7 o'clock in the morning.
to suddenly hit something hard, in a way that makes a loud noise: · Her father banged his fist down on the table angrily.· The door suddenly banged shut.
written to hit something many times with a lot of force: · I could hear the sea pounding on the rocks.· She pounded on the door and shouted wildly.
written to hit something quickly many times making a loud continuous noise: · The rain was hammering on the roof.· A crowd of people were outside hammering on the door angrily.
to pay attention to what someone is saying or to a sound that you hear: · I didn’t hear the answer, because I wasn’t listening when she read it out.· He listened carefully to every word I said.
to listen carefully to what someone is saying: · I nodded to show I was paying attention.· She was tired and wasn’t paying attention to what he was saying.
to secretly listen to someone else’s conversation by standing near them, hiding behind a door etc: · I caught him eavesdropping on our conversation.· They spoke in quiet voices which made it hard to eavesdrop.
to hear someone say something, especially accidentally: · I overheard him say something about wanting to move house.· Excuse me! I couldn’t help overhearing that you were planning a trip to Thailand.
to listen to a radio programme, or to someone using a radio transmitter: · Over a million people tune in to the programme each week.· Tune in at the same time next week for the next episode.· The equipment could be used by criminals to tune in to police broadcasts.
to connect a piece of electronic recording equipment to a telephone system so that you can listen to people’s telephone conversations: · The police had tapped the phones of all three suspects.· The president had to resign over an illegal phone-tapping operation.
to hide a small piece of electronic recording equipment in someone’s room, car, office etc in order to listen secretly to what is said there: · Security agents bugged their offices and managed to get some evidence against them.· Wells was convinced the house was bugged and insisted on playing loud music while we talked.
Longman Language Activatorto choose someone for a job or team to decide who is the best person for a job, team, prize etc: · Companies are now using computers to help them choose new workers.choose somebody as something: · The board has unanimously chosen Cole as Gray's temporary replacement.choose somebody to do something: · Eventually, Jane was chosen to deliver the message.
formal to choose someone for a particular job, team, place at school etc, after considering a lot of different people who might be suitable: · The college selects only twelve students a year from the thousands who apply.select somebody for something: · We selected four applicants for interview.select somebody to do something: · Ernst had been selected to play in the game against Belgium.
to officially choose someone to do an important job: · The company has appointed a new sales director.appoint somebody to something: · Simpson has been appointed to the Memphis Branch board for a three-year term.appoint somebody as something: · They have appointed Jane Staller as their new East Coast manager.appoint somebody to do something: · A committee was appointed to consider changes to the Prison Service.
to choose someone for a sports team or an important job: · The class was divided into four teams, and each group was asked to pick a leader.pick somebody to do something: · Joe picked Steve and Terry to be on his team.pick somebody for something: · Do you think he might pick another woman for the Supreme Court?
to publicly say who has been chosen for an important job in an organization: · The editor of "The Times" has resigned amid a political storm. His successor has not yet been named.name somebody to something: · McCarthy was recently named to the Small Business Committee.name somebody as something: · The magazine has named Bonnie Fuller as deputy editor.name somebody something: · We are naming Dr Bob McClure head of the IRC in China.
if someone, especially a group of people, nominates someone, they officially choose that person to be considered for a particular job: nominate somebody to something: · Mills is expected to be formally nominated to the board next month.nominate somebody to do something: · Lee was the first Chinese American nominated to head the Civil Rights Division.nominate somebody as something: · They nominated her as the British spokesperson at the International Arms Conference.
British /be on the short list if you are shortlisted or on the short list for a job or a position, you are one of a small group of people who have been chosen from other people who want the job, and from that small group one person will be chosen: · Three applicants have been shortlisted and will be invited for interview next week.be shortlisted for: · He's been on the President's short list for the job twice.
American to officially choose someone for an important job: tap somebody for something: · Reinhardt was tapped for the federal bench in 1980 by former President Carter.
to hit an object/door/table etc with something · You have to try to hit the ball over the net.· The first time I tried archery, I couldn't even hit the target.
to hit a door or window, especially with your closed hand, in order to attract the attention of the people inside: · Would you mind knocking before you come in?· I waited a moment, then knocked again.knock on/at: · Lula knocked at the back door and he appeared, dressed in pyjamas.· 'Mattie?' called Jerry, knocking on the door.
to hit something gently so that it makes a light noise, especially in order to get someone's attention: · Daley read the notes, tapping a pencil on the desk.tap on/at: · She tapped on the window to attract his attention.
to hit a door, table etc very hard with your hand or with an object, in order to attract attention or because you are angry: · Thomas banged his fist on the table.bang on/at: · I banged at the door but nobody came.· He complained loudly until Val finally banged on the table and shouted at him.bang something shut: · Sherman banged the door shut.
to hit something loudly and very quickly several times in order to attract attention: · The conductor rapped the music stand with his baton and the violins stopped playing.rap on/at: · Seeing her son outside, Mrs Evans rapped on the window and called him back into the house.
formal to hit something hard, especially in a very controlled or skilful way: · Morris struck his drum, and the band started to march down the street.· In anger, he struck the wall with a stick.
also give something a bash British informal to hit something hard with your hand or with a stick, hammer etc especially in a careless way: · If the television stops working, just bash it a couple of times -- that usually helps.· I put the box on the floor and gave it a good bash with my hammer, but it still wouldn't open.
to hit something hard and noisily, especially using a flat object: · Buckley whacked the ball into left field.· The Georgia man whacked his fist on the bar.
to keep hitting something very loudly and quickly especially with your closed hand, because you are angry, impatient etc: hammer on/at/against: · The children hammered at the door to be let in out of the rain.· Her heart hammered against her ribs.
to secretly listen to someone to listen to someone else's conversation when they do not know that you are listening, either on the telephone or when you are near them: · Whenever her boss had one of his "private meetings", she always used to listen in.listen in on: · We tried to listen in on their conversation, but they were talking too quietly.· They used to have hours of fun listening in on what people were doing in their hotel rooms.
to secretly listen to someone else's conversation by standing near them, hiding behind a door etc: · How did you know I was going? You've been eavesdropping, haven't you!eavesdrop on: · I caught him eavesdropping on our conversation.· Sue was able to eavesdrop on them through the open window.
to hide a small piece of electronic recording equipment in someone's room, car, office etc in order to listen secretly to what is said there: · Security agents bugged their offices and managed to get some evidence against them.· Wells was convinced the house was bugged and insisted on playing loud music while we talked.
to connect a piece of electronic recording equipment to a telephone system so that you can listen to people's telephone conversations: · Later we realized our phones had been tapped and the police knew everything.· The President had to resign over an illegal phone-tapping operation.
to listen to another country's radio or television broadcasts or radio messages in order to get information about that country: · Satellite technology means that enemy airwaves can be monitored more closely than ever before.
sounds made by something repeatedly hitting something the sound produced when something hard keeps hitting another hard surface: · One of the machines started to make a strange knocking sound.· The builders' knocking and hammering made it difficult for me to concentrate on my work.
the sound produced when someone keeps hitting a surface, especially a door or window, with their hand or with a hard object: rap/rapping at/on etc: · A violent rap at the door made me run downstairs.· I was kept awake by the rapping of a branch on my window.
to make a quiet irregular sound, like the sound of rain falling or quick, light steps: patter on/in etc: · Raindrops were pattering on the car roof.patter about/around (=move around with a pattering sound): · I could hear feet shuffling and pattering about upstairs.
if something rattles , it makes a hard, quickly repeated sound, especially because part of it is loose and keeps hitting against something: · There's something rattling inside the washing machine.rattle about/around (=move around with a rattling sound): · Sometimes, the bolts work loose and start rattling around.rattle along/past etc (=move somewhere making a rattling sound): · A battered old Chevrolet rattled past.
to produce a sound by lightly and repeatedly hitting a hard surface: tap on/against: · Is that someone tapping on the door?· It sounded as though something outside was tapping against the window.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY He turned as someone tapped him on the shoulder. Murray’s phone calls to Australia were tapped.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The tap’s dripping. She gently turned the handle of the bedroom door. ‘I’m thirsty,’ she said, turning on the tap.
1hit lightly [intransitive, transitive] to hit your fingers lightly on something, for example to get someone’s attentiontap somebody on the shoulder/arm/chest etc He turned as someone tapped him on the shoulder. Murray’s phone calls to Australia were tapped. British English· The water coming out of the bath taps was freezing cold.
(=hit it very gently)· I tapped on the door and opened it.
The tap’s dripping. (=bang them gently on the ground)· She was tapping her feet in time with the music.
(=take them from an area)· Several nations are eager to tap the mineral resources in Antarctica.
She gently turned the handle of the bedroom door. ‘I’m thirsty,’ she said, turning on the tap. (=water that comes out of a tap)· The tap water is not safe to drink.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· Leave for about a minute, then gently tap off any excess glitter.· He tapped gently on the door which was pulled open by Red Nose.· She walked slowly towards the door, tapped gently, then stood back and waited.· So I plucked up my courage and tapped gently on the door.
· He cleaned out a pocket and tapped in a nut.· His chip shot came up an inch short and he tapped in for par.
· And she descended the stairs and, tapping lightly on the door, turned the handle and went in.· Cops in twos and threes huddle, lightly tap their thighs with night sticks and smile at me with benevolence.· She tapped lightly on the tall, wide, ornately panelled door, then pushed it open and walked in.· Our driver rolled up his window and backed away, lightly tapping the front bumper of the car behind.· He walked towards the door and tapped lightly on it.· Glover lightly tapped his cane, looked off over the yellow lights dancing in the lake.· I thought I'd remove it and, taking a hammer from the toolshed, lightly tapped the offending projection.
· He tapped out another cigarette from the packet and lit it with his gold-plated lighter while Blanche read.· She would tap out a cigarette and pretend to smoke it, as if on break.· Having discovered which it is, say it up-to-time at normal speed. Tap out the rhythm of other verses you know.· The sad truth is that this source of power is already nearly tapped out.· Mrs Lowyer turned to look at him and saw him lean forward to tap out the pipe in the ashtray.· Meantime, the city is all but tapped out.· His hand was hard around her waist; his boots tapped out an intricate rhythm like a drum.· McAlister reached for his fork and tapped out a rhythm, a signal, a Morse code.
NOUN· The payoff is not in the end products so much as in the energy that can be tapped.· Many readers will also be familiar with demonstrations of production of electric power by tapping the energy of winds and tides.· In other words, a random jumble can not spontaneously assemble itself into some orderly structure without tapping some outside energy source.· The answer is simple: it taps the rotational energy of Mars.
· His foot tapped the floor in time to the music.· His eyes were riveted to the overhead screen while the heel of his right foot tapped nervously on the floor.· He waited, overtly patient, for her to begin, but underneath the table his foot was tapping noiselessly.· His foot tapped on my carpet.
· Shaker gave a loose salute, and the grinning ensign tapped his forehead with a finger.
· Carver had tapped keys and up came the data on the Lennox girl.· I watched as he placed a sheet of paper in the roller and began tapping the keys.· We spend loads of time each day tapping keys.
· In some circumstances, such partnerships can, in fact, tap the tax-exempt market.· Environmental systems: New consulting group set up to tap growing market for pollution clean-up services and advice.· Generally, records sell better than books, and publishers want to tap into that larger market.· It attracted more retail savings than even the government, which spares no effort to tap the market.· High street banks have been tapping the student market for years, offering undergraduates free overdrafts.· Otherswant to tap into the overseas market.· While tapping the same market, the chains approach the business customer in different ways.
· Morton, he realized, spoke with the confidence of the man who tapped the phones.· One eye's cut from the flowered turf: a horse skull, whispering secrets with wind-sighs like tapping on phone wires.
· The single most important step towards tapping you potential is establishing specific, realistic, and worthwhile goals.
· If Nissan, Toyota and the others fail to tap this source they will still be formidable firms all around the world.· Dole is now expected to tap a new source of campaign financing: the Republican National Committee.· How could booksellers tap this source of data?· In other words, a random jumble can not spontaneously assemble itself into some orderly structure without tapping some outside energy source.· Any bacterium that could tap a different source of food would obviously be very successful and eventually some did.· Skilful questioning of the child can make him tap sources of knowledge he didn't know he had.· If developing countries tap existing sources for money to improve communications, then there may be less cash for other projects.· The dervish gyrating on his axis echoes the rotation of the earth and taps the sources of creative vibration.
· It is not hard to see why official inquiries concerning matters like spies or telephone tapping very rarely tell the truth.· Then there is piecemeal reform with an ad hoc tribunal created-the classic instance of this concerns telephone tapping.· Every embassy is being watched, our telephones are being tapped, everyone is on the lookout for you.· But it was also claimed that in the late 1970s certain telephones were tapped irrespective of any industrial dispute.
· But whatever his motives, he soon realized that he had tapped a very useful vein of information in Ted Morgan.· Perry taps the needle one last time, taps her arm for veins and injects the syringe into a bruise.· The language also taps a Laurentian vein where mud, blood, heat and simmering violence are mashed together.
He turned as someone tapped him on the shoulder.tap on I went up and tapped on the window.tap something on/against/from etc something Mark tapped his fingers on the tabletop impatiently. She tapped ash from her cigarette.► see thesaurus at hit2music [transitive] to make a regular pattern of sounds with your fingers or feet, especially when you are listening to music: She tapped her feet in time to the music. a toe-tapping tune3energy/money [transitive] (also tap into) to use or take what is needed from something such as an energy supply or an amount of money: People are tapping into the power supply illegally. We hope that additional sources of funding can be tapped.4ideas [transitive] (also tap into) to make as much use as possible of the ideas, experience, knowledge etc that a group of people has: Your adviser’s experience is there to be tapped. helping people tap into training opportunities5telephone [transitive] to listen secretly to someone’s telephone by using a special piece of electronic equipment: Murray’s phone calls to Australia were tapped.6tree [transitive] to get liquid from the trunk of a tree by making a hole in it7player [transitive] (also tap up) British English informal if a football club taps a player from another team, it illegally tries to persuade that player to join its teamtap something ↔ in (also tap something into something) phrasal verb British English to put information, numbers etc into a computer, telephone etc by pressing buttons or keys: Tap in your password before you log on.tap something ↔ out phrasal verb1to hit something lightly, especially with your fingers or foot, in order to make a pattern of sounds: He whistled the tune and tapped out the rhythm.2to write something with a computer: Brian tapped out a name on his small electronic organizer.