Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A device that uses energy, especially electric current or radiation, for a specified purpose, especially a device that kills insects by means of an electric current flowing through a wire grid.
  • noun A remote control for a television set.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun colloquial A remote control for a television.
  • noun A thing that zaps by passing a large voltage, e.g. a bug zapper.
  • noun figuratively By extension, any thing capable of extermination.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an electrical device that can injure or kill by means of electric currents

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

to zap + -er.

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Examples

  • In his lab, Wool constructed an attack mechanism - an RFID "zapper" - from a disposable camera.

    SiliconIndia.com 2010

  • In his lab, Wool constructed an attack mechanism - an RFID "zapper" - from a disposable camera.

    SiliconIndia.com 2010

  • The zapper was a specialized scanning transmitter that looked like a long-nosed hair dryer.

    The Empress File Sandford, John, 1944 Feb. 23- 1991

  • As a result, I noticed a Honda commercial I've never seen before, where a bunch of giant insect gas guzzlers (like a cross between Starship Troopers and a Chevy Tahoe) are thwarted from attacking a Honda Fit by a big bug zapper which is equated to gas mileage of 33 mpg.

    What Happened To High MPG Ratings? 2009

  • As a result, I noticed a Honda commercial I've never seen before, where a bunch of giant insect gas guzzlers (like a cross between Starship Troopers and a Chevy Tahoe) are thwarted from attacking a Honda Fit by a big bug zapper which is equated to gas mileage of 33 mpg.

    Archive 2009-01-01 2009

  • In his lab, Prof. Wool constructed an attack mechanism -- an RFID "zapper" ― from a disposable camera.

    PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories 2010

  • A standard 'zapper' box, it supports the new DVB-T2 standard, and will receive both SD and HD terrestrial channels.

    The Register Team Register 2010

  • A standard 'zapper' box, it supports the new DVB-T2 standard, and will receive both SD and HD terrestrial channels.

    The Register Team Register 2010

  • In his lab, Prof. Wool constructed an attack mechanism -- an RFID "zapper" ― from a disposable camera.

    PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories 2010

  • In his lab, Prof. Wool constructed an attack mechanism -- an RFID "zapper" ― from a disposable camera.

    PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories 2010

Comments

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  • "Zappers alter the electronic sales records in a cash register. To satisfy tax collectors, the tally of food orders, for example, must match the register’s final cash total. To hide the removal of cash from the till, a crooked business owner has to erase the record of food orders equal to the amount of cash taken; otherwise, the imbalance is obvious to any auditor."

    The New York Times, With Software, Till Tampering Is Hard to Find, by Roy Furchgott, August 29, 2008

    September 1, 2008