overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

taps.

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; the signal is sometimes also given during the funeral of a soldier.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/tæps/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. 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; the signal is sometimes also given during the funeral of a soldier.

    plural · plural-only
Where this word comes from

From tap (noun) + -s. Noun 1 sense 1 (“signal for extinguishing all lights in soldiers’ quarters and retiring to bed”) is from the fact that the signal was originally made using a drum.

noun/tæps/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. plural of tap

    form-of · plural
Where this word comes from

From tap (noun) + -s. Noun 1 sense 1 (“signal for extinguishing all lights in soldiers’ quarters and retiring to bed”) is from the fact that the signal was originally made using a drum.

verb/tæps/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. third-person singular simple present indicative of tap

    form-of · indicative · present · singular · third-person
Where this word comes from

From tap (noun) + -s. Noun 1 sense 1 (“signal for extinguishing all lights in soldiers’ quarters and retiring to bed”) is from the fact that the signal was originally made using a drum.

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

taps has 4 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

taps studiotaps workshello, taps

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.