# taps

Pronunciation: say "TAPS" /tæps/

## Noun

1. A bugle or drum signal that orders lights out in soldiers' quarters at night, sounded shortly after tattoo and also played at military funerals.
   - Simple: A military signal, usually played on a bugle, that tells soldiers to turn out the lights and go to sleep.
   - _The bugler played taps as the flag came down at dusk._
   - _At the graveside, taps echoed across the cemetery while the casket was lowered._
2. Plural of tap. — plural of tap
   - Simple: Plural of tap. Use this form when you mean more than one tap.
   - _Workers shut off the water taps during the building's renovation._
   - _The bar installed new taps for its seasonal beers._

## Verb

3. Third-person singular simple present indicative of tap. — third-person singular simple present indicative of tap
   - Simple: The form of tap used in the present with he, she, it, or a singular noun such as the dog or water.
   - _The drummer taps a steady beat throughout the whole song._
   - _Whenever the gauge sticks, the engineer taps it to free the needle._

## Origin

Formed from the noun "tap" plus "-s". The sense meaning the signal for putting out lights in soldiers' quarters and going to bed comes from the fact that the signal was originally made using a drum.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/taps (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).