zap

Definition

A sound made by a sudden release of electricity or some similar energy.

Etymology

1920s, American English, of imitative origin.

Example Sentences

• "You might feel a little zap touching a metal doorknob when the air is dry."
• "Black AIDS activists were caught in the middle of a nearly yearlong series of zaps."
• "When a zap at Brooklyn's Board of Education opened no dialogue on discrimination suffered by gay teachers, GAA targeted the BOE offices on April 13."