zapper
zapper Lexical Profile
zapper Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An electrical device that attracts and kills flying insects on contact by means of a high-voltage metal grid.
"We hung an electric bug zapper on the back porch to keep mosquitoes away during the summer barbecue."
British A handheld remote control unit used to operate a television set or other electronic appliance.
"He reached across the sofa for the zapper to mute the television commercials."
A fictional energy weapon, toy ray gun, or handheld video game light gun that emits a beam or electrical discharge.
"The vintage arcade game came equipped with a plastic zapper for aiming at targets on the screen."
• Rhymes for zapper
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the mid-20th century from the imitative verb 'zap' (originally a 1920s comic-strip sound effect representing a ray gun) combined with the agent suffix '-er'.