zap
Obliterate with energy
Zap captures the idea of sudden, energetic action—originally the sound of a ray gun or electrical discharge in comic books.
To zap something is to destroy or disable it quickly: The laser zapped the target.
In computing, zap means to delete or erase: I accidentally zapped the whole folder.
Microwaving food is often called zapping: Just zap it for thirty seconds.
As a noun, a zap is a jolt or burst of energy.
The word conveys speed and decisiveness across all its uses.
Sudden impact exclamation
- bamLoud impact sound
- whamForceful impact sound
- kaboomOnomatopoeia for detonation
- onomatopoeiaSound-imitating word formation
panel · exclamation · manga · superhero · cartoon · lettering
Violent sudden disturbance
- joltAbrupt forceful shake
- electrocuteKill by electricity
- currentDirected flow of charge
- voltElectromotive force unit
discharge · arc · spark · surge · taser · defibrillator · short-circuit · voltage
Convert to gas
- annihilateDestroy completely, leaving nothing
- obliterateDestroy all traces of
- disintegrateBreak into fragments
- blastSudden forceful burst
nuke · fry · kill · eliminate · laser · phaser · blaster · incinerate
Lively vigor
- oomphInformal term for vigor
- vigorActive physical strength
- vitalityCapacity for spirited existence
- punchStrike with fist
kick · spark · boost · dynamism · liveliness · verve · pizzazz · zing
Briefest unit of time
- flashBrief burst of light
- swiftMoving with speed
- rapidMoving with haste
- lightning-fastExtremely rapid
instantaneous · split-second · blink · zip · whoosh · snap · whiz · streak
pow
Sudden impact exclamation
onomatopoeia · panel · exclamation · manga · superhero · cartoon · lettering
shock
Violent sudden disturbance
- joltAbrupt forceful shake
- electrocuteKill by electricity
- currentDirected flow of charge
volt · discharge · arc · spark · surge · taser · defibrillator · short-circuit · voltage · static
vaporize
Convert to gas
- annihilateDestroy completely, leaving nothing
- obliterateDestroy all traces of
- disintegrateBreak into fragments
blast · nuke · fry · kill · eliminate · laser · phaser · blaster · incinerate · pulverize
pep
Lively vigor
punch · kick · spark · boost · dynamism · liveliness · verve · pizzazz · zing · zip
instant
Briefest unit of time
lightning-fast · instantaneous · split-second · blink · zip · whoosh · snap · whiz · streak · bolt
nuke
Atomic weapon, casually
beep · turntable · timer · convenience · leftovers · popcorn
- comicscomic books, comic book, comic strip, comic art, comic panel
- electricityelectricity, battery, batteries, wire, wires
- cartoon visualsaction lines, speech bubble, thought bubble, pow, bam
- comic book soundspow, bam, wham, kapow, thwack
- sci-fi soundslaser, phaser, blaster, whoosh, hum
- Z wordszero, zone, zoo, zip, zing
- bug zapperDevice that electrocutes insects
- brain zapWithdrawal-induced sensory disturbance