What is "zap"

zap \zap\ (z[a^]p), v. t.

1. to shoot, destroy, or inactivate; my TV set was zapped by lightning.

2. to bomb with an atomic bomb.

   Syn: nuke, atomize.

3. to cook or heat in a microwave oven.

   Syn: microwave, micro-cook, nuke.

4. to subject to radiation, a laser beam, a strong electric current, or other potentially destructive treatment.

5. to skip over (e. g. a commercial or dull interval in a television program) by using the fast-forward button on a VCR remove control.

6. to add interest, color, or attractiveness to; to liven; -- usually used with up.
   --[RHUD]

1929 as a sound, 1942 as a verb; a comic strip word (especially from "Buck Rogers in the Twenty-Fifth Century"), of imitative origin. Meaning "erase electronically" is 1982. Related: Zapped; zapping.

interj. Representing the sound or action of a zap. n. 1 (context colloquial English) A sound made by a sudden release of electricity or some similar energy. 2 (context colloquial English) An electrical shock. vb. 1 To make a zapping sound. 2 To use a remote control to repeatedly change channels on a television. 3 To strike (something or someone) with electricity or energy, as by shooting. 4 To damage (especially electronics) with electrostatic discharge. 5 To heat (something) in a microwave oven. 6 To delete or discard (electronic media). 7 To further energize or charge (magnetic material).

1. v. strike suddenly and with force; "This show zaps the viewers with some shocking scenes"

2. kill with or as if with a burst of gunfire or electric current or as if by shooting; "in this computer game, space travellers are vaporized by aliens" [syn: vaporize]

3. strike at with firepower or bombs; "zap the enemy" [syn: nuke, atomize, atomise]

4. cook or heat in a microwave oven; "You can microwave the left-overs" [syn: microwave, micro-cook, nuke]

5. [also: zapping, zapped]

ZAP is an American electric vehicle company that designs, produces and markets vehicles including automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, scooters, personal watercraft, hovercraft, ATVs, neighborhood electric vehicles and commercial vehicles. The name stands for Zero Air Pollution. The company headquarters are located in Santa Rosa, California.

Zap is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's original bazooka soldier and debuted in 1982.

A zap is a form of political direct action that came into use in the 1970s in the United States. Popularized by the early gay liberation group Gay Activists Alliance, a zap was a raucous public demonstration designed to embarrass a public figure or celebrity while calling the attention of both gays and straights to issues of LGBT rights.

Although American homophile organizations had engaged in public demonstrations as early as 1959, these demonstrations tended to be peaceful picket lines. Following the 1969 Stonewall riots, considered the flashpoint of the modern gay liberation movement, younger, more radical gay activists were less interested in the staid tactics of the previous generation. Zaps targeted politicians and other public figures and many addressed the portrayal of gay people in the popular media. LGBT and AIDS activist groups continued to use zap-like tactics into the 1990s and beyond.

ZAP is a digital satellite television provider mainly for Portuguese speaking countries in sub-Saharan Africa. ZAP launched in Angola in 2010, providing a subscription based TV service covering the sub-Saharan countries to south of Angola. ZAP operates from the Eutelsat W7 satellite, placed over Africa at 36,0 degrees East, broadcasting in DVB-S2 in five transponders with MPEG-4 compression and Nagravision encryption.

ZAP provides an unprecedented number of Portuguese-language channels for a region where Portuguese-speaking African countries account for more than 40 million people.

In order to subscribe to ZAP's television service a subscriber can use either one of the two available decoders. The "HD+" decodes the encrypted signal, provides an Electronic Programming Guide, High Definition image and 5.1 stereo sound. The "HD+DVR" decoder provides the additional functionality of Digital Video Recorder.