# tapping

/ˈtæpɪŋ/ (US) · /tˈæpɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/tapping
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. a light hitting sound

noun · CEFR B1

the sound or action of hitting something lightly and repeatedly.

For teachers: the act or sound of making a series of light, rhythmic strikes against a surface.

- I heard a strange tapping sound on the window during the storm.
- The rhythmic tapping of the rain against the skylight provided a soothing background noise while she worked on her manuscript.

### 2. guitar technique

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a way of playing the guitar by hitting the strings against the neck with your fingers.

For teachers: a guitar-playing technique where the musician strikes the strings against the fingerboard with their fingertips to produce notes.

- The rock star used fast tapping to play a very difficult solo.
- The guitarist's mastery of two-handed tapping allowed him to execute complex polyphonic passages that would be impossible with traditional picking.

### 3. extracting a resource

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the act of taking or using a natural resource, like water or sap from a tree.

For teachers: the process of drawing out or exploiting a resource from a source.

- The tapping of maple trees for syrup usually happens in early spring.
- The sustainable tapping of rubber trees provides a steady income for the local community without destroying the rainforest canopy.

### 4. hitting lightly

verb · CEFR A2

the action of hitting something with quick, light blows.

For teachers: the present participle of tap; used to describe the ongoing action of light percussion.

- He was tapping his foot to the music while he waited for the bus.
- She sat at the back of the hall, nervously tapping her pen against her notebook as the speaker approached the podium.

## Examples

- He learned two-handed tapping to play faster solos.
- The guitarist used tapping to create a cascading waterfall effect during the bridge of the song.
- While traditionally associated with heavy metal, tapping has been adopted by acoustic fingerstyle players to incorporate percussive elements and complex polyphony into their solo performances.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.