(v): separate with or as if with an instrument
(v): draw from or dip into to get something
(v): remove (a commodity) from (a supply source)
(v): strike lightly
(v): deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
(v): draw from; make good use of
(v): put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose
(v): tap a telephone or telegraph wire to get information
(v): listen without the speaker's knowledge
(v): furnish with a tap or spout, so as to be able to draw liquid from it
(v): give something useful or necessary to
(v): make light, repeated taps on a surface
(v): make a certain noise or sound
(v): walk with a tapping sound
(v): use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
(v): dance and make rhythmic clicking sounds by means of metal plates nailed to the sole of the dance shoes
(v): move in a pattern; usually to musical accompaniment; do or perform a dance
(v): draw (liquor) from a tap
(v): take liquid out of a container or well
(v): pierce in order to draw a liquid from
(v): make a hole into
(v): make a solicitation or entreaty for something; request urgently or persistently
(v): express the need or desire for; ask for
(n): the sound made by a gentle blow
(n): the sudden occurrence of an audible event
(n): a gentle blow
(n): an impact (as from a collision)
(n): a faucet for drawing water from a pipe or cask
(n): a regulator for controlling the flow of a liquid from a reservoir
(n): a fixture for the distribution and use of water in a building
(n): a small metal plate that attaches to the toe or heel of a shoe (as in tap dancing)
(n): a sheet of metal or wood or glass or plastic
(n): a tool for cutting female (internal) screw threads
(n): an implement used in the practice of a vocation
(n): a plug for a bunghole in a cask
(n): blockage consisting of an object designed to fill a hole tightly
(n): the act of tapping a telephone or telegraph line to get information
(n): the work of inquiring into something thoroughly and systematically
(n): a light touch or stroke
(n): the act of putting two things together with no space between them
To tap in medical parlance is to access and remove fluid from an internal compartment, usually but not always an abnormal fluid collection.
A thoracentesis or paracentesis would both be examples of taps. A spinal tap is an example which doesn't aim to drain a pathological fluid pocket.
Usage: "Mr Carver's got a pleural effusion on decubes, but it looks too small to tap."
Pat in reverse.