Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
ZAP
I. interjection
Etymology: imitative
Date: 1929
1. — used to express a sound made by or as if by a gun
2. — used to indicate a sudden or instantaneous occurrence
II. verb (zapped; zapping)
Date: 1942
transitive verb
1. to get rid of, destroy, or kill especially with or as if with sudden force, to hit with or as if with a sudden concentrated application of force or energy, to irradiate especially with microwaves,
2. to propel suddenly or speedily, to transport instantaneously, to avoid watching (as a television commercial) by changing channels especially with a remote control or by fast-forwarding a videotape, intransitive verb to move with speed or force, to change television channels using a remote control,
III. noun
Date: 1963
a pungent or zestful quality ; zip