# zap

> English word · Noun · IPA /zæp/ · frequency rank #30,662

## Definitions
1. A sound made by a sudden release of electricity or some similar energy.
2. An electric shock.
3. A raucous public demonstration designed to embarrass a public figure or celebrity as a form of political activism.
4. The act of heating something in a microwave oven.

## Etymology
1920s, American English, of imitative origin.

## Easily confused with
- **ze** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/zap-vs-ze)
- **Zo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/zap-vs-zo)
- **zoo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/zap-vs-zoo)
- **zip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/zap-vs-zip)
- **Zen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/zap-vs-zen)
- **Zoe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/zap-vs-zoe)
- **zee** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/zap-vs-zee)
- **zhu** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/zap-vs-zhu)
- **zig** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/zap-vs-zig)
- **zed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/zap-vs-zed)
- **Zia** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/zap-vs-zia)
- **Zim** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/zap-vs-zim)
- **Zara** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/zap-vs-zara)
- **zeal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/zap-vs-zeal)
- **Zhao** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/zap-vs-zhao)
- **Zayn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/zap-vs-zayn)
- **Zips** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/zap-vs-zips)
- **Zappa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/zap-vs-zappa)
- **z** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/z-vs-zap)
- **za** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/za-vs-zap)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/zap