Strike vs. Tap: What's the Difference?

To hit sharply, as with a hand, fist, weapon, or implement

To strike gently with a light blow or blows

To inflict (a blow).

To give a light rap with

To penetrate or pierce

To produce with a succession of light blows

To collide with or crash into

To select, as for membership in an organization; designate.

To cause to come into violent or forceful contact

To repair (shoe heels or toes) by applying a thin layer of leather or a substitute material.

To thrust (a weapon, for example) in or into someone or something

To attach metal plates to (shoe toes or heels).

To damage or destroy, as by forceful contact

To deliver a gentle, light blow or blows.

To make a military attack on; assault.

To walk making light clicks.

To afflict suddenly, as with a disease or impairment

To tap-dance.

To cause to become suddenly in a certain way

To furnish with a spigot or tap.

To snap at or seize (a bait).

To pierce in order to draw off liquid

To hook (a fish that has taken the bait) by a pull on the line.

To draw (liquid) from a vessel or container

To wound by biting. Used especially of a snake.

(Medicine) To withdraw fluid from (a body cavity).

To form by stamping, printing, or punching

To make a physical connection with or open outlets from

To produce or play by manipulating strings or keys

To wiretap (a telephone or communications channel).

To indicate by a percussive or chiming sound

To establish an electric connection in (a power line), as to divert current secretly.

To produce as if by playing a musical instrument

To establish access to or a connection with

To produce by friction or a blow

To take advantage of; make use of

To produce flame, light, or a spark by friction

To cut screw threads in (a collar, socket, or other fitting).

To remove or separate suddenly, as with a blow

(Informal) To ask (a person) for money.

To eliminate or expunge

A gentle blow.

To come upon (a mineral deposit) by effort; discover

The sound made by such a blow.

To come to; reach or attain

A thin layer of leather or a substitute applied to a worn-down shoe heel or toe.

To fall upon; shine on

A metal plate attached to the toe or heel of a shoe, as for tap-dancing.

To become audible to

Tap dance.

To affect keenly or forcibly; impress

(Linguistics) See flap.

To enter the mind of

A valve and spout used to regulate delivery of a fluid at the end of a pipe.

To cause (a strong emotion) to penetrate deeply

A plug for a bunghole; a spigot.

To affect or overcome with strong emotion

Liquor drawn from a spigot.

To make and confirm the terms of (a bargain).

Liquor of a particular brew, cask, or quality.

To achieve (a balance, for example) by careful consideration.

(Medicine) The removal of fluid from a body cavity

To position one's body in (a pose, for example); assume.

A tool for cutting an internal screw thread.

To haul down (a mast or sail).

A makeshift terminal in an electric circuit.

To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.

A wiretap.

To lower (cargo) into a hold.

A tapering cylindrical pin or peg used to stop the vent in a cask.

To remove (theatrical properties, a set, or technical equipment) from a stage.

A device used to dispense liquids.

To dismantle and pack up for departure

Liquor drawn through a tap; hence, a certain kind or quality of liquor.

To undertake a strike against (an employer).

A place where liquor is drawn for drinking.

To level or even (a measure, as of grain).

(mechanics) A device used to cut an internal screw thread. (External screw threads are cut with a die.)

To smooth or shape with a strickle.

A connection made to an electrical or fluid conductor without breaking it.

To send (plant roots) out or down.

An interception of communication by authority.

To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.

A device used to listen in secretly on telephone calls.

To deal a blow or blows, as with the fist or a weapon; hit.

A procedure that removes fluid from a body cavity.

To aim a stroke or blow

(finance) The situation where a borrowing government authority issues bonds over a period of time, usually at a fixed price, with volumes sold on a particular day dependent on market conditions.

To make contact suddenly or violently; collide

A gentle or slight blow; a light rap; a pat.

To begin a military attack

(dance) tap dance

(Sports) To score a goal

The act of touching a touch screen.

To penetrate or pierce

A piece of leather fastened upon the bottom of a boot or shoe in repairing or renewing the sole or heel.

To take bait

(military) A signal, by drum or trumpet, for extinguishing all lights in soldiers' quarters and retiring to bed; usually given about a quarter of an hour after tattoo.

To dart or shoot suddenly forward in an attempt to inflict a bite or wound. Used of snakes and wild animals.

(phonetics) A consonant sound made by a single muscle contraction, such as the sound [ɾ] in the standard American English pronunciation of body.

To set out or proceed, especially in a new direction

An Indian malarial fever.

To begin to move

To furnish with taps.

To send out roots.

To draw off liquid from a vessel.

To sprout.

To deplete, especially of a liquid via a tap; to tap out.

To indicate the time by making a percussive or chiming sound

To exploit.

To become indicated by a percussive or chiming sound

To place a listening or recording device on a telephone or wired connection.

To become ignited.

To intercept a communication without authority.

To discover something suddenly or unexpectedly

(mechanical) To cut an internal screw thread.

To fall, as light or sound

To turn or flip a card or playing piece to remind players that it has already been used that turn (by analogy to "tapping," in the sense of drawing on to the point of temporary exhaustion, the resources or abilities represented by the card).

To have an effect; make an impression.

(informal) To cadge, borrow or beg.

To engage in a strike against an employer.

To drain off fluid by paracentesis.

To interrupt by pushing oneself forward

To advance someone for a post or job, or for membership of a club.

To strive diligently for a specific technical rating in the US Navy.

To strike lightly.

An act or gesture of striking.

To touch one's finger, foot, or other body parts on a surface (usually) repeatedly.

An attack, especially a military air attack on a single group of targets.

To make a sharp noise.

(Sports) A scoring attempt, often resulting in a goal.

(graphical user interface) To operate an electronic device (e.g. a mobile phone) by tapping a specific place on its (capacitive or other) touch screen.

A cessation of work by employees in support of demands made on their employer, as for higher pay or improved conditions.

To designate for some duty or for membership, as in 'a tap on the shoulder'.

A temporary stoppage of normal activity undertaken as a protest.

To have sexual intercourse with.

A sudden achievement or valuable discovery, as of a precious mineral.

(combat sports) To submit to an opponent by tapping one's hand repeatedly.

The taking of bait by a fish.

To force (an opponent) to submit.

A pull on a fishing line indicating this.

To put a new sole or heel on.

A quantity of coins or medals struck at the same time.

To strike with a slight or gentle blow; to touch gently; to rap lightly; to pat; as, to tap one with the hand or a cane.

(Baseball) A pitched ball that is counted against the batter, typically one that is swung at and missed, fouled off, or judged to have passed through the strike zone.

To put a new sole or heel on; as, to tap shoes.

A perfectly thrown ball

To strike a gentle blow.

An unfavorable condition, circumstance, or characteristic; a disadvantage

To pierce so as to let out, or draw off, a fluid; as, to tap a cask, a tree, a tumor, a keg of beer, etc.

The knocking down of all the pins in bowling with the first bowl of a frame.

Hence, to draw resources from (a reservoir) in any analogous way; as, to tap someone's knowledge of the Unix system; to tap the treasury.

The score so made.

To draw, or cause to flow, by piercing.

The taking root and growing of a plant cutting.

To form an internal screw in (anything) by means of a tool called a tap; as, to tap a nut, a pipe, or tubing.

(Geology) The course or bearing of a structural surface, such as an inclined bed, as it intersects a horizontal plane.

To connect a listening device to (a telephone or telegraph line) secretly, for the purpose of hearing private conversations; also, to obtain or record (information) by tapping; - a technique used by law enforcement agencies investigating suspected criminals. In the United States it is illegal without a court order permitting it.

The removal of all properties, sets, and technical equipment following a final performance, as of a play or concert.

A gentle or slight blow; a light rap; a pat.

A strickle.

A piece of leather fastened upon the bottom of a boot or shoe in repairing or renewing the sole or heel.

A device serving the functions of a strike plate, especially one that can be electronically released to allow access.

A signal, by drum or trumpet, for extinguishing all lights in soldiers' quarters and retiring to bed, - usually given about a quarter of an hour after tattoo.

To delete or cross out; to scratch or eliminate.

A hole or pipe through which liquor is drawn.

(physical) To have a sharp or sudden effect.

A plug or spile for stopping a hole pierced in a cask, or the like; a faucet.

(transitive) To hit.

Liquor drawn through a tap; hence, a certain kind or quality of liquor; as, a liquor of the same tap.

(transitive) To give, as a blow; to impel, as with a blow; to give a force to; to dash; to cast.

A place where liquor is drawn for drinking; a taproom; a bar.

(intransitive) To deliver a quick blow or thrust; to give blows.

A tool for forming an internal screw, as in a nut, consisting of a hardened steel male screw grooved longitudinally so as to have cutting edges.

(transitive) To manufacture, as by stamping.

The sound made by a gentle blow

To run upon a rock or bank; to be stranded; to run aground.

A faucet for drawing water from a pipe or cask

(transitive) To cause to sound by one or more beats; to indicate or notify by audible strokes. Of a clock, to announce (an hour of the day), usually by one or more sounds.

A gentle blow

(intransitive) To sound by percussion, with blows, or as if with blows.

A small metal plate that attaches to the toe or heel of a shoe (as in tap dancing)

(transitive) To cause or produce by a stroke, or suddenly, as by a stroke.

A tool for cutting female (internal) screw threads

(transitive) To cause to ignite by friction.

A plug for a bunghole in a cask

(transitive) To thrust in; to cause to enter or penetrate.

The act of tapping a telephone or telegraph line to get information

To have a sharp or severe effect.

A light touch or stroke

(transitive) To punish; to afflict; to smite.

Cut a female screw thread with a tap

(intransitive) To carry out a violent or illegal action.

Draw from or dip into to get something;

(intransitive) To act suddenly, especially in a violent or criminal way.

Strike lightly;

To impinge upon.

Draw from; make good use of;

(intransitive) To stop working as a protest to achieve better working conditions.

Tap a telephone or telegraph wire to get information;

To quit (one's job).

Furnish with a tap or spout, so as to be able to draw liquid from it;

(transitive) To impress, seem or appear (to).

Make light, repeated taps on a surface;

(transitive) To create an impression.

Walk with a tapping sound

(sports) To score a goal.

Dance and make rhythmic clicking sounds by means of metal plates nailed to the sole of the dance shoes;

To make a sudden impression upon, as if by a blow; to affect with some strong emotion.

Draw (liquor) from a tap;

To affect by a sudden impression or impulse.

Pierce in order to draw a liquid from;

To steal or rob; to take forcibly or fraudulently.

Make a solicitation or entreaty for something; request urgently or persistently;

To borrow money from; to make a demand upon.

To touch; to act by appulse.

(transitive) To take down, especially in the following contexts.

(nautical) To haul down or lower (a flag, mast, etc.)

(by extension) To capitulate; to signal a surrender by hauling down the colours.

To dismantle and take away (a theater set; a tent; etc.).

To unfasten, to loosen (chains, bonds, etc.).

(intransitive) To set off on a walk or trip.

(intransitive) To pass with a quick or strong effect; to dart; to penetrate.

(dated) To break forth; to commence suddenly; with into.

(intransitive) To become attached to something; said of the spat of oysters.

To make and ratify.

To level (a measure of grain, salt, etc.) with a straight instrument, scraping off what is above the level of the top.

(masonry) To cut off (a mortar joint, etc.) even with the face of the wall, or inward at a slight angle.

To hit upon, or light upon, suddenly.

To lade thickened sugar cane juice from a teache into a cooler.

To stroke or pass lightly; to wave.

(obsolete) To advance; to cause to go forward; used only in the past participle.

To balance (a ledger or account).

To discover a source of something, often a buried raw material such as ore (especially gold) or crude oil.

(baseball) A status resulting from a batter swinging and missing a pitch, or not swinging at a pitch when the ball goes in the strike zone, or hitting a foul ball that is not caught.

(bowling) The act of knocking down all ten pins in on the first roll of a frame.

A work stoppage (or otherwise concerted stoppage of an activity) as a form of protest.

A blow or application of physical force against something.

(finance) In an option contract, the price at which the holder buys or sells if they choose to exercise the option.

(historical) An old English measure of corn equal to the bushel.

(cricket) The status of being the batsman that the bowler is bowling at.

The primary face of a hammer, opposite the peen.

(geology) The compass direction of the line of intersection between a rock layer and the surface of the Earth.

An instrument with a straight edge for levelling a measure of grain, salt, etc., scraping off what is above the level of the top; a strickle.

(obsolete) Fullness of measure; the whole amount produced at one time.

Excellence; quality.

An iron pale or standard in a gate or fence.

(ironworking) A puddler's stirrer.

(obsolete) The extortion of money, or the attempt to extort money, by threat of injury; blackmail.

The discovery of a source of something.

The strike plate of a door.

(fishing) A nibble on the bait by a fish.

(philately) A cancellation postmark.

To touch or hit with some force, either with the hand or with an instrument; to smite; to give a blow to, either with the hand or with any instrument or missile.

To come in collision with; to strike against; as, a bullet struck him; the wave struck the boat amidships; the ship struck a reef.

To give, as a blow; to impel, as with a blow; to give a force to; to dash; to cast.

To stamp or impress with a stroke; to coin; as, to strike coin from metal: to strike dollars at the mint.

To thrust in; to cause to enter or penetrate; to set in the earth; as, a tree strikes its roots deep.

To punish; to afflict; to smite.

To cause to sound by one or more beats; to indicate or notify by audible strokes; as, the clock strikes twelve; the drums strike up a march.

To lower; to let or take down; to remove; as, to strike sail; to strike a flag or an ensign, as in token of surrender; to strike a yard or a topmast in a gale; to strike a tent; to strike the centering of an arch.

To make a sudden impression upon, as by a blow; to affect sensibly with some strong emotion; as, to strike the mind, with surprise; to strike one with wonder, alarm, dread, or horror.

To affect in some particular manner by a sudden impression or impulse; as, the plan proposed strikes me favorably; to strike one dead or blind.

To cause or produce by a stroke, or suddenly, as by a stroke; as, to strike a light.

To cause to ignite; as, to strike a match.

To make and ratify; as, to strike a bargain.

To take forcibly or fraudulently; as, to strike money.

To level, as a measure of grain, salt, or the like, by scraping off with a straight instrument what is above the level of the top.

To cut off, as a mortar joint, even with the face of the wall, or inward at a slight angle.

To hit upon, or light upon, suddenly; as, my eye struck a strange word; they soon struck the trail.

To borrow money of; to make a demand upon; as, he struck a friend for five dollars.

To lade into a cooler, as a liquor.

To stroke or pass lightly; to wave.

To advance; to cause to go forward; - used only in past participle.

To move; to advance; to proceed; to take a course; as, to strike into the fields.

To deliver a quick blow or thrust; to give blows.

To hit; to collide; to dush; to clash; as, a hammer strikes against the bell of a clock.

To sound by percussion, with blows, or as with blows; to be struck; as, the clock strikes.

To make an attack; to aim a blow.

To touch; to act by appulse.

To run upon a rock or bank; to be stranded; as, the ship struck in the night.

To pass with a quick or strong effect; to dart; to penetrate.

To break forth; to commence suddenly; - with into; as, to strike into reputation; to strike into a run.

To lower a flag, or colors, in token of respect, or to signify a surrender of a ship to an enemy.

To quit work in order to compel an increase, or prevent a reduction, of wages.

To become attached to something; - said of the spat of oysters.

To steal money.

The act of striking.

An instrument with a straight edge for leveling a measure of grain, salt, and the like, scraping off what is above the level of the top; a strickle.

A bushel; four pecks.

An old measure of four bushels.

Fullness of measure; hence, excellence of quality.

An iron pale or standard in a gate or fence.

The act of quitting work; specifically, such an act by a body of workmen, usually organized by a labor union, done as a means of enforcing compliance with demands made on their employer.

A puddler's stirrer.

The horizontal direction of the outcropping edges of tilted rocks; or, the direction of a horizontal line supposed to be drawn on the surface of a tilted stratum. It is at right angles to the dip.

The extortion of money, or the attempt to extort money, by threat of injury; blackmailing.

A sudden finding of rich ore in mining; hence, any sudden success or good fortune, esp. financial.

The act of leveling all the pins with the first bowl; also, the score thus made. Sometimes called double spare. Throwing a strike entitles the player to add to the score for that frame the total number of pins knocked down in the next two bowls.

Any actual or constructive striking at the pitched ball, three of which, if the ball is not hit fairly, cause the batter to be put out; hence, any of various acts or events which are ruled as equivalent to such a striking, as failing to strike at a ball so pitched that the batter should have struck at it.

Same as Ten-strike.

A group's refusal to work in protest against low pay or bad work conditions;

An attack that is intended to seize or inflict damage on or destroy an objective;

A pitch that is in the strike zone and that the batter does not hit;

A gentle blow

A score in tenpins: knocking down all ten with the first ball;

A conspicuous success;

Hit against; come into sudden contact with;

Deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon;

Have an emotional or cognitive impact upon;

Make a strategic, offensive, assault against an enemy, opponent, or a target;

Indicate (a certain time) by striking;

Affect or afflict suddenly, usually adversely;

Stop work in order to press demands;

Touch or seem as if touching visually or audibly;

Attain;

Produce by manipulating keys or strings of musical instruments, also metaphorically;

Cause to form between electrodes of an arc lamp;

Find unexpectedly;

Produce by ignition or a blow;

Remove by erasing or crossing out;

Cause to experience suddenly;

Drive something violently into a location;

Occupy or take on;

Form by stamping, punching, or printing;

Smooth with a strickle;

Pierce with force;

Arrive at after reckoning, deliberating, and weighing;