The tap is running.
Source: tatoeba (2233)
Tap
/tæp/
Synonyms for "tap" (590 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (118)
Noun(19 words)
abridgeadjutageair holeapplyappointarmholeat handattendattend toaudio sound systemaudiophileaugerauscultateavailableavenueball cockball valvebangbarbarroom
Show 71 more words
be all earsbeakbeatbeat a tattoobeat the drumbeat timebeatingbend an earbereavebinaural systembitch boxbitebleedblowholebobborebreathbroachbrushbufferbugbulbbulbilbullet-holebullhornbumpbungbungholebuntburstbustcaresscartridgecatheterceramic pickupchangerchannelcheck valvechinkchuckchuteclapclashcleaveclickclinkclopclumpclunkcockcock the earscocktail loungecome in contactcontactcorkcormcountcount the beatscountersinkcrackcrashcrevassecringlecrumpcrystal pickupcurtailcutcut offcut opencutaneous sensedab
Strong matches (177)
Noun(21 words)
dabsdeathwatchdinkdipsdouble tapdrawdrummingdrumsextractfaucetfaucetsfillipingfillipsgentle touchgesturehahnharnessinghydrantknockknocks
Show 1 more word
most fall engagement dip
deadeyedebouchdecantdeprivedeprive ofderived four-channel systemdesignatedevicedisburdendiscrete four-channel systemdisentitledispartdivaricatedivestdividedoordraftdraft offdraindrain cock
Show 129 more words
drainpipedrawdraw cockdraw fromdraw offdraw ondrilldrinkerydrumdull thudease one ofeavesdropefflux tubeegresselectrical parts and devicesempierceemptyemunctoryescapeestuaryexamine by earexhaustexitextracteyeeyeletfaucetfeelfeel offeelingfillipfingerfingertip caressfire hosefissurefixflapflickflipflirtfloodgateflopflue pipeflumeflumpfly openfour-channel stereo systemfunnelgarden hosegas pipegasketgategeneratorgive attentiongive audience togive earglancegoregougegouge outgramophonegrazegroggerygrogshopgrommetguidehammerhand-mindednesshandleharkhearhear outhearkenheedhi-fihi-fi fanhigh-fidelityhitholehoneycombhosehosepipehydrantimpalein reserveinciseinterceptintercomintercommunication systemjukeboxkeep timekeyholekissknockknockingknotholelambencylancelaplathelay openlend an earletlet bloodlet outlicklidlight touchlighten one oflistenlisten atlisten inlisten tolooploopholeloungemagnetic pickupmakemake use ofmanholemanipulatemilkminemonaural systemmonomouseholenameneedleneedle valve
Adjective(2 words)
gentle pushminor shove
Related words (295)
nickelodeonnipplenominateon callon handon tapopeopenopen upopeningorgan pipeoutoutcomeoutfalloutgateoutgooutletpapa systempad
Show 217 more words
palmpalpatepartpartspatpatterpawpeckpeckingpeepholepegpenetrateperforatepetcockphlebotomizephonographphotoelectric pickuppickpickuppiercepigeonholepinpinholepinkpipepipelinepipettepipingpitapatpitter patterpitter-patterplacketplacket holeplay drumplugplumpplunkplypokepoke atpopporeportportholepothousepoundprickprodpubpublic housepublic-address systempumppump outpunchpunch-holepunctureput through channelsput to usequadraphonic sound systemradicleradio-phonograph combinationradixraprappingreadyreamream outrecord changerrecord playerreedreed piperelayrelieverentreportrhizomeriddleriftripriverootrootstockrubrufflerun throughsally portsapscrewsea cocksense of touchseparatesiamesesiamese connectionsiphonsiphon offsit in onskewerslamslapslatslitsluicesmacksmitesnapsnorkelsoil pipesound a tattoosound reproduction systemsound truckspearspigotspikespilespillspiraclespitsplatsplitspoutspreadspread outspringspring opensquawk boxstabstandpipesteam pipestemstereostickstopstopcockstopgapstopperstopplestrawstrikestrokestylussucksuck outswapswing opensystemtactile sensetactiontake awaytake away fromtake fromtape decktape recordertappingtaproomtaprootteartear opententative pokethrow openthrumthudthumbthumpthwackticktickletinkletiptom-tomtone armtooltouchtranscription turntabletransfixtranspiercetrepantrephinetubetubertubercletubingtubulationtubuletubulettubuluretunkturn to accountturntabletwiddleunpluguseutilizevaluevalvevalvulavalvulevenesectventventageventholevictrolavomitorywaitingwaste pipewater pipeway outweirwhackwhamwhapwhiskwhisperwhompwhopwieldwiretapwithdraw
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: pat, rap, spigot, abridge, access.
- Sentence evidence is available for tap, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, wordnet, opengloss, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "tap".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "tap"
Keep "tap" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "tap" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "tap", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "tap" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
48 entriesShowing 16 of 48 words.
More specific
11 entriesCollocations
10 entriesbathroom tapcold water tapfaucet handlefinger taphot water tapkitchen taptap a kegtap dancetap into resourcestap water
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
4 entriesTranslations
33 translations across 16 languages.
Bulgarian
2 entries- почуквам verb (to make a sharp noise)
- точа verb (to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source))
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 刷 verb (to touch something with a card)
Dutch
2 entries- aftappen verb (to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source))
- tappen verb (to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source))
Finnish
4 entries- avata verb (to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source))
- kopauttaa verb (to make a sharp noise)
- laskea verb (to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source))
- napauttaa verb (to make a sharp noise)
French
1 entries- tirer verb (to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source))
German
4 entries- anzapfen verb (to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source))
- klopfen verb (to make a sharp noise)
- pochen verb (to make a sharp noise)
- zapfen verb (to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source))
Hungarian
1 entries- csapra ver verb (to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source))
Indonesian
3 entries- gamit verb (to touch something with a card)
- ketuk verb (to make a sharp noise)
- tempel verb (to touch something with a card)
Italian
2 entries- estrarre verb (to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source))
- sbattere verb (to make a sharp noise)
Japanese
1 entries- かざす verb (to touch something with a card)
Macedonian
3 entries- наточува verb (to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source))
- точи verb (to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source))
- чука verb (to make a sharp noise)
Norwegian
1 entries- tappe verb (to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source))
Polish
2 entries- napoczynać verb (to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source))
- spuszczać płyn verb (to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source))
Russian
1 entries- постукивать verb (to make a sharp noise)
Slovak
2 entries- stiahnuť verb (to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source))
- stočiť verb (to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source))
Swedish
1 entries- tappa verb (to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source))
Sample sentences
137 total sentences available.
Your tap water is too hard. Get a water softener.
Source: tatoeba (20139)
Most Japanese drink water from the tap.
Source: tatoeba (41169)
I learned to tap dance when I was a young girl.
Source: tatoeba (258683)
Showing 4 of 137 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "tap"?
Closest matches include pat, rap, spigot, abridge, access.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "tap"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.