Hit vs. Tap: What's the Difference?
By Aimie Carlson & Janet White || Updated on May 23, 2024
"Hit" implies a forceful, impactful action, often causing harm or damage, while "Tap" indicates a light, gentle touch, typically harmless and subtle.
Key Differences
"Hit" suggests a strong, forceful action often resulting in significant impact or damage. For example, hitting a baseball involves considerable strength and precision. In contrast, "tap" describes a gentle, light touch, such as tapping someone on the shoulder to get their attention. This action is generally subtle and harmless.
"Hit" is frequently associated with aggression or intentional impact, like hitting a drum with force to produce a loud sound. "Tap," on the other hand, implies minimal force, like tapping a keyboard softly to avoid noise. The intent behind a hit is usually more intense than a tap.
In sports, "hit" often means striking an object with substantial force, as in hitting a golf ball. Conversely, "tap" can mean a slight touch, like tapping the ball gently into the hole. The physical effort involved in hitting is considerably more than in tapping.
In technology, "hit" might refer to a server receiving a request, indicating a significant interaction. Meanwhile, "tap" is commonly used for light touches on a touchscreen, requiring minimal pressure. The user experience in tapping is generally more delicate than in hitting.
Comparison Chart
Force
Strong, forceful
Gentle, light
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Intent
Often aggressive or impactful
Usually subtle or harmless
Common Contexts
Sports, physical impact, aggression
Attention-getting, technology, subtlety
Example in Sports
Hitting a baseball
Tapping a golf ball
Technology Usage
Server receiving a request (hit)
Light touch on a touchscreen (tap)
Hit and Tap Definitions
Hit
To affect negatively.
The economy was hit hard by the recession.
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Tap
To touch lightly.
She tapped him on the shoulder.
Hit
To press or strike a key or button.
He hit the enter key to submit the form.
Tap
To draw liquid from a source.
They tapped the maple trees for syrup.
Hit
To come into contact with forcefully; strike
The car hit the guardrail.
Tap
To strike gently with a light blow or blows
I tapped you on the shoulder to get your attention.
Hit
To cause to come into contact
She hit her hand against the wall.
Tap
To give a light rap with
Tap a pencil.
Hit
To deal a blow to
He hit the punching bag.
Tap
To produce with a succession of light blows
Tap out a rhythm.
Hit
To cause an implement or missile to come forcefully into contact with
Hit the nail with a hammer.
Tap
To select, as for membership in an organization; designate.
Hit
To press or push (a key or button, for example)
Hit the return key by mistake.
Tap
To repair (shoe heels or toes) by applying a thin layer of leather or a substitute material.
Hit
To reach with a propelled ball or puck
Hit the running back with a pass.
Tap
To attach metal plates to (shoe toes or heels).
Hit
To score in this way
She hit the winning basket.
Tap
To deliver a gentle, light blow or blows.
Hit
To perform (a shot or maneuver) successfully
Couldn't hit the jump shot.
Tap
To walk making light clicks.
Hit
To propel with a stroke or blow
Hit the ball onto the green.
Tap
To tap-dance.
Hit
To execute (a base hit) successfully
Hit a single.
Tap
To furnish with a spigot or tap.
Hit
To bat against (a pitcher or kind of pitch) successfully
Can't hit a slider.
Tap
To pierce in order to draw off liquid
Tap a maple tree.
Hit
To affect, especially adversely
The company was hit hard by the recession. Influenza hit the elderly the hardest.
Tap
To draw (liquid) from a vessel or container
Tap a new keg of beer.
Hit
To be affected by (a negative development)
Their marriage hit a bad patch.
Tap
(Medicine) To withdraw fluid from (a body cavity).
Hit
To win (a prize, for example), especially in a lottery.
Tap
To make a physical connection with or open outlets from
Tap a water main.
Hit
To arise suddenly in the mind of; occur to
It finally hit him that she might be his long-lost sister.
Tap
To wiretap (a telephone or communications channel).
Hit
(Informal) To go to or arrive at
We hit the beach early.
Tap
To establish an electric connection in (a power line), as to divert current secretly.
Hit
(Informal) To attain or reach
Monthly sales hit a new high. She hit 40 on her last birthday.
Tap
To establish access to or a connection with
Tapped a new market for inexpensive books.
Hit
To produce or represent accurately
Trying to hit the right note.
Tap
To take advantage of; make use of
Tapped voter anger to win the election.
Hit
(Games) To deal cards to.
Tap
To cut screw threads in (a collar, socket, or other fitting).
Hit
(Sports) To bite on or take (bait or a lure). Used of a fish.
Tap
(Informal) To ask (a person) for money.
Hit
To strike or deal a blow.
Tap
A gentle blow.
Hit
To come into contact with something; collide.
Tap
The sound made by such a blow.
Hit
To attack
The raiders hit at dawn.
Tap
A thin layer of leather or a substitute applied to a worn-down shoe heel or toe.
Hit
To happen or occur
The storm hit without warning.
Tap
A metal plate attached to the toe or heel of a shoe, as for tap-dancing.
Hit
To achieve or find something desired or sought
Finally hit on the answer.
Hit upon a solution to the problem.
Tap
Tap dance.
Hit
(Baseball) To bat or bat well
Their slugger hasn't been hitting lately.
Tap
(Linguistics) See flap.
Hit
(Sports) To score by shooting, especially in basketball
Hit on 7 of 8 shots.
Tap
A valve and spout used to regulate delivery of a fluid at the end of a pipe.
Hit
To ignite a mixture of air and fuel in the cylinders. Used of an internal-combustion engine.
Tap
A plug for a bunghole; a spigot.
Hit
A collision or impact.
Tap
Liquor drawn from a spigot.
Hit
A successfully executed shot, blow, thrust, or throw.
Tap
Liquor of a particular brew, cask, or quality.
Hit
(Sports) A deliberate collision with an opponent, such as a body check in ice hockey.
Tap
(Medicine) The removal of fluid from a body cavity
A spinal tap.
Hit
A successful or popular venture
A Broadway hit.
Tap
A tool for cutting an internal screw thread.
Hit
A match of data in a search string against data that one is searching.
Tap
A makeshift terminal in an electric circuit.
Hit
A connection made to a website over the internet or another network
Our company's website gets about 250,000 hits daily.
Tap
A wiretap.
Hit
An apt or effective remark.
Tap
A tapering cylindrical pin or peg used to stop the vent in a cask.
Hit
Abbr. H(Baseball) A base hit.
Tap
A device used to dispense liquids.
We don't have bottled water; you'll have to get it from the tap.
Hit
A dose of a narcotic drug.
Tap
Liquor drawn through a tap; hence, a certain kind or quality of liquor.
A liquor of the same tap
Hit
A puff of a cigarette or a pipe.
Tap
A place where liquor is drawn for drinking.
Hit
(Slang) A murder planned and carried out usually by a member of an underworld syndicate.
Tap
(mechanics) A device used to cut an internal screw thread. (External screw threads are cut with a die.)
We drilled a hole and then cut the threads with the proper tap to match the valve's thread.
Hit
To strike.
Tap
A connection made to an electrical or fluid conductor without breaking it.
The system was barely keeping pressure due to all of the ill-advised taps along its length.
Hit
(transitive) To administer a blow to, directly or with a weapon or missile.
One boy hit the other.
Tap
An interception of communication by authority.
Hit
(transitive) To come into contact with forcefully and suddenly.
The ball hit the fence.
Tap
A device used to listen in secretly on telephone calls.
Hit
(intransitive) To strike against something.
Tap
A procedure that removes fluid from a body cavity.
Abdominal tap
Pleural tap
Spinal tap
Hit
(transitive) To activate a button or key by pressing and releasing it.
Hit the Enter key to continue.
Tap
(finance) The situation where a borrowing government authority issues bonds over a period of time, usually at a fixed price, with volumes sold on a particular day dependent on market conditions.
Tap issue; a bond tap
Hit
To kill a person, usually on the instructions of a third party.
Hit him tonight and throw the body in the river.
Tap
A gentle or slight blow; a light rap; a pat.
When Steve felt a tap on his shoulder, he turned around.
Hit
To attack, especially amphibiously.
If intelligence had been what it should have been, I don't think we'd ever have hit that island.
Tap
(dance) tap dance
Hit
To affect someone, as if dealing a blow to that person.
Their coffee really hits the spot.
I used to listen to that song all the time, but it hits different(ly) now.
Tap
The act of touching a touch screen.
Hit
To manage to touch (a target) in the right place.
I hit the jackpot.
Tap
A piece of leather fastened upon the bottom of a boot or shoe in repairing or renewing the sole or heel.
Hit
To switch on.
Somebody's been here! Hit the lights!
Tap
(military) A signal, by drum or trumpet, for extinguishing all lights in soldiers' quarters and retiring to bed; usually given about a quarter of an hour after tattoo.
Hit
To briefly visit.
We hit the grocery store on the way to the park.
Tap
(phonetics) A consonant sound made by a single muscle contraction, such as the sound [
Hit
To encounter an obstacle or other difficulty.
We hit a lot of traffic coming back from the movies.
Tap
An Indian malarial fever.
Hit
(heading) To attain, to achieve.
Tap
To furnish with taps.
If we tap the maple trees, we can get maple syrup!
Hit
To reach or achieve.
The movie hits theaters in December.
The temperature could hit 110°F tomorrow.
We hit Detroit at one in the morning but kept driving through the night.
Tap
To draw off liquid from a vessel.
He tapped a new barrel of beer.
Hit
(intransitive) To meet or reach what was aimed at or desired; to succeed, often by luck.
Tap
To deplete, especially of a liquid via a tap; to tap out.
Hit
To guess; to light upon or discover.
Tap
To exploit.
Businesses are trying to tap the youth market.
Hit
(transitive) To affect negatively.
The economy was hit by a recession.
The hurricane hit his fishing business hard.
Tap
To place a listening or recording device on a telephone or wired connection.
They can't tap the phone without a warrant.
Hit
(metaphorically) To attack.
Tap
To intercept a communication without authority.
He was known to tap cable television.
Hit
To make a play.
Tap
(mechanical) To cut an internal screw thread.
Tap an M3 thread all the way through the hole.
Hit
In blackjack, to deal a card to.
Hit me.
Tap
To turn or flip a card or playing piece to remind players that it has already been used that turn (by analogy to "tapping," in the sense of drawing on to the point of temporary exhaustion, the resources or abilities represented by the card).
Hit
To come up to bat.
Jones hit for the pitcher.
Tap
(informal) To cadge, borrow or beg.
I tried to tap a cigarette off him, but he wouldn't give me one.
Hit
(backgammon) To take up, or replace by a piece belonging to the opposing player; said of a single unprotected piece on a point.
Tap
To drain off fluid by paracentesis.
Hit
To use; to connect to.
The external web servers hit DBSRV7, but the internal web server hits DBSRV3.
Tap
To advance someone for a post or job, or for membership of a club.
Trump interviewed Mueller for FBI job day before he was tapped for special counsel.
Hit
To have sex with.
I'd hit that!
Tap
To strike lightly.
She tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.
Hit
To inhale an amount of smoke from a narcotic substance, particularly marijuana.
Tap
To touch one's finger, foot, or other body parts on a surface (usually) repeatedly.
He was so nervous he began to tap his fingers on the table.
She tapped her companion on the back to indicate that she was ready to go.
Lydia tapped Jim on the shoulder to get his attention.
Hit
(of an exercise) to affect, to work a body part.
This is another great exercise which hits the long head.
Tap
To make a sharp noise.
The tree, swaying in the breeze, began to tap on the window pane.
Hit
To work out
With that said, the group hitting their legs just once a week still made gains.
Tap
(graphical user interface) To operate an electronic device (e.g. a mobile phone) by tapping a specific place on its (capacitive or other) touch screen.
Hit
A blow; a punch; a striking against; the collision of one body against another; the stroke that touches anything.
The hit was very slight.
Tap
To designate for some duty or for membership, as in 'a tap on the shoulder'.
Hit
Something very successful, such as a song, film, or video game, that receives widespread recognition and acclaim.
Tap
To have sexual intercourse with.
I would tap that hot girl over there.
I'd tap that.
Hit
An attack on a location, person or people.
Tap
(combat sports) To submit to an opponent by tapping one's hand repeatedly.
Hit
A collision of a projectile with the target.
Tap
To force (an opponent) to submit.
Hit
In the game of Battleship, a correct guess at where one's opponent ship is.
Tap
To put a new sole or heel on.
To tap shoes
Hit
A match found by searching a computer system or search engine
Tap
To strike with a slight or gentle blow; to touch gently; to rap lightly; to pat; as, to tap one with the hand or a cane.
Hit
(Internet) A measured visit to a web site, a request for a single file from a web server.
My site received twice as many hits after being listed in a search engine.
Tap
To put a new sole or heel on; as, to tap shoes.
Hit
An approximately correct answer in a test set.
Tap
To strike a gentle blow.
Hit
(baseball) The complete play, when the batter reaches base without the benefit of a walk, error, or fielder’s choice.
The catcher got a hit to lead off the fifth.
Tap
To pierce so as to let out, or draw off, a fluid; as, to tap a cask, a tree, a tumor, a keg of beer, etc.
Hit
(colloquial) A dose of an illegal or addictive drug.
Where am I going to get my next hit?
Tap
Hence, to draw resources from (a reservoir) in any analogous way; as, to tap someone's knowledge of the Unix system; to tap the treasury.
Hit
A premeditated murder done for criminal or political purposes.
Tap
To draw, or cause to flow, by piercing.
He has been tapping his liquors.
Hit
(dated) A peculiarly apt expression or turn of thought; a phrase which hits the mark.
A happy hit
Tap
To form an internal screw in (anything) by means of a tool called a tap; as, to tap a nut, a pipe, or tubing.
Hit
(backgammon) A move that throws one of the opponent's men back to the entering point.
Tap
To connect a listening device to (a telephone or telegraph line) secretly, for the purpose of hearing private conversations; also, to obtain or record (information) by tapping; - a technique used by law enforcement agencies investigating suspected criminals. In the United States it is illegal without a court order permitting it.
Hit
(backgammon) A game won after the adversary has removed some of his men. It counts for less than a gammon.
Tap
A gentle or slight blow; a light rap; a pat.
Hit
Very successful.
The band played their hit song to the delight of the fans.
Tap
A piece of leather fastened upon the bottom of a boot or shoe in repairing or renewing the sole or heel.
Hit
(dialectal) It.
Tap
A signal, by drum or trumpet, for extinguishing all lights in soldiers' quarters and retiring to bed, - usually given about a quarter of an hour after tattoo.
Hit
It.
Tap
A hole or pipe through which liquor is drawn.
Hit
To reach with a stroke or blow; to strike or touch, usually with force; especially, to reach or touch (an object aimed at).
I think you have hit the mark.
Tap
A plug or spile for stopping a hole pierced in a cask, or the like; a faucet.
Hit
To reach or attain exactly; to meet according to the occasion; to perform successfully; to attain to; to accord with; to be conformable to; to suit.
Birds learning tunes, and their endeavors to hit the notes right.
There you hit him; . . . that argument never fails with him.
Whose saintly visage is too brightTo hit the sense of human sight.
He scarcely hit my humor.
Tap
Liquor drawn through a tap; hence, a certain kind or quality of liquor; as, a liquor of the same tap.
Hit
To guess; to light upon or discover.
Tap
A place where liquor is drawn for drinking; a taproom; a bar.
Hit
To take up, or replace by a piece belonging to the opposing player; - said of a single unprotected piece on a point.
Tap
A tool for forming an internal screw, as in a nut, consisting of a hardened steel male screw grooved longitudinally so as to have cutting edges.
Hit
To meet or come in contact; to strike; to clash; - followed by against or on.
If bodies be extension alone, how can they move and hit one against another?
Corpuscles, meeting with or hitting on those bodies, become conjoined with them.
Tap
The sound made by a gentle blow
Hit
To meet or reach what was aimed at or desired; to succeed, - often with implied chance, or luck.
And oft it hitsWhere hope is coldest and despair most fits.
And millions miss for one that hits.
Tap
A faucet for drawing water from a pipe or cask
Hit
A striking against; the collision of one body against another; the stroke that touches anything.
So he the famed Cilician fencer praised,And, at each hit, with wonder seems amazed.
Tap
A gentle blow
Hit
A stroke of success in an enterprise, as by a fortunate chance; as, he made a hit;
What late he called a blessing, now was wit,And God's good providence, a lucky hit.
Tap
A small metal plate that attaches to the toe or heel of a shoe (as in tap dancing)
Hit
A peculiarly apt expression or turn of thought; a phrase which hits the mark; as, a happy hit.
Tap
A tool for cutting female (internal) screw threads
Hit
A game won at backgammon after the adversary has removed some of his men. It counts less than a gammon.
Tap
A plug for a bunghole in a cask
Hit
A striking of the ball; as, a safe hit; a foul hit; - sometimes used specifically for a base hit.
Tap
The act of tapping a telephone or telegraph line to get information
Hit
An act of murder performed for hire, esp. by a professional assassin.
Tap
A light touch or stroke
Hit
(baseball) a successful stroke in an athletic contest (especially in baseball);
He came all the way around on Williams' hit
Tap
Cut a female screw thread with a tap
Hit
The act of contacting one thing with another;
Repeated hitting raised a large bruise
After three misses she finally got a hit
Tap
Draw from or dip into to get something;
Tap one's memory
Tap a source of money
Hit
A conspicuous success;
That song was his first hit and marked the beginning of his career
That new Broadway show is a real smasher
The party went with a bang
Tap
Strike lightly;
He tapped me on the shoulder
Hit
(physics) an brief event in which two or more bodies come together;
The collision of the particles resulted in an exchange of energy and a change of direction
Tap
Draw from; make good use of;
We must exploit the resources we are given wisely
Hit
A dose of a narcotic drug
Tap
Tap a telephone or telegraph wire to get information;
The FBI was tapping the phone line of the suspected spy
Is this hotel room bugged?
Hit
A murder carried out by an underworld syndicate;
It has all the earmarks of a Mafia hit
Tap
Furnish with a tap or spout, so as to be able to draw liquid from it;
Tap a cask of wine
Hit
A connection made via the internet to another website;
WordNet gets many hits from users worldwide
Tap
Make light, repeated taps on a surface;
He was tapping his fingers on the table impatiently
Hit
Cause to move by striking;
Hit a ball
Tap
Walk with a tapping sound
Hit
Hit against; come into sudden contact with;
The car hit a tree
He struck the table with his elbow
Tap
Dance and make rhythmic clicking sounds by means of metal plates nailed to the sole of the dance shoes;
Glover tapdances better than anybody
Hit
Affect or afflict suddenly, usually adversely;
We were hit by really bad weather
He was stricken with cancer when he was still a teenager
The earthquake struck at midnight
Tap
Draw (liquor) from a tap;
Tap beer in a bar
Hit
Deal a blow to, either with the hand or with an instrument;
He hit her hard in the face
Tap
Pierce in order to draw a liquid from;
Tap a maple tree for its syrup
Tap a keg of beer
Hit
Reach a destination, either real or abstract;
We hit Detroit by noon
The water reached the doorstep
We barely made it to the finish line
I have to hit the MAC machine before the weekend starts
Tap
Make a solicitation or entreaty for something; request urgently or persistently;
Henry IV solicited the Pope for a divorce
My neighbor keeps soliciting money for different charities
Hit
Reach a point in time, or a certain state or level;
The thermometer hit 100 degrees
This car can reach a speed of 140 miles per hour
Tap
To produce a sound by light touches.
He tapped his fingers on the table.
Hit
Hit with a missile from a weapon
Tap
To select something gently on a screen.
Tap the icon to open the app.
Hit
Cause to experience suddenly;
Panic struck me
An interesting idea hit her
A thought came to me
The thought struck terror in our minds
They were struck with fear
Tap
To lightly pat.
He tapped the dog’s head affectionately.
Hit
Make a strategic, offensive, assault against an enemy, opponent, or a target;
The Germans struck Poland on Sept. 1, 1939
We must strike the enemy's oil fields
In the fifth inning, the Giants struck, sending three runners home to win the game 5 to 2
Hit
Hit the intended target or goal
Hit
Produce by manipulating keys or strings of musical instruments, also metaphorically;
The pianist strikes a middle C
Strike `z' on the keyboard
Her comments struck a sour note
Hit
Encounter by chance;
I stumbled across a long-lost cousin last night in a restaurant
Hit
Gain points in a game;
The home team scored many times
He hit a home run
He hit .300 in the past season
Hit
Consume to excess;
Hit the bottle
Hit
Kill intentionally and with premeditation;
The mafia boss ordered his enemies murdered
Hit
Drive something violently into a location;
He hit his fist on the table
She struck her head on the low ceiling
Hit
Pay unsolicited and usually unwanted sexual attention to;
He tries to hit on women in bars
Hit
To strike with force.
He hit the ball out of the park.
Hit
To collide with something.
The car hit the wall.
Hit
To reach a target or goal.
She hit her sales target for the month.
FAQs
What does "hit" mean?
"Hit" means to strike something with force. E.g., He hit the nail with a hammer.
Is "hit" always forceful?
Yes, "hit" implies a significant force. E.g., The boxer hit his opponent hard.
Can "tap" be used in technology?
Yes, "tap" is often used to describe touching a screen lightly. E.g., Tap the button to start.
What does "tap" mean?
"Tap" means to touch something lightly. E.g., She tapped the glass to get attention.
Does "hit" have non-physical meanings?
Yes, it can mean to achieve a target. E.g., She hit her financial goals.
Can "hit" be metaphorical?
Yes, it can describe achieving success. E.g., The song hit the top of the charts.
Is "tap" ever forceful?
No, "tap" generally implies minimal force. E.g., He tapped the window softly.
Is "tap" used in sports?
Yes, especially in gentle actions like tapping a ball in golf. E.g., She tapped the ball into the hole.
Does "tap" have non-literal uses?
Yes, it can mean to draw from a resource. E.g., They tapped into the database.
Is "tap" associated with sound?
Yes, it can describe a light tapping noise. E.g., He heard a tap on the window.
Is "hit" used in sports?
Yes, it's commonly used to describe striking a ball. E.g., He hit a home run.
Can "hit" imply damage?
Yes, it often suggests causing harm. E.g., The storm hit the coast hard.
Can "tap" be affectionate?
Yes, it can imply a gentle, affectionate touch. E.g., She tapped his cheek softly.
Does "hit" have a violent connotation?
It can, depending on context. E.g., He hit the intruder to defend himself.
Is "tap" common in daily language?
Yes, often in contexts like getting attention. E.g., She tapped him to ask a question.
Does "hit" have any positive meanings?
Yes, achieving success is positive. E.g., The campaign was a hit.
Is "hit" used in computing?
Yes, for example, a web hit counts visits to a site. E.g., The site had 1,000 hits today.
Can "tap" be used in financial contexts?
Yes, like accessing funds. E.g., He tapped his savings for the trip.
Is "hit" a versatile word?
Yes, it has many uses across contexts. E.g., The joke really hit the mark.
Does "tap" imply precision?
Often, yes, as it usually involves a specific, controlled touch. E.g., Tap the screen icon precisely.
About Author
Written by
Aimie CarlsonAimie Carlson, holding a master's degree in English literature, is a fervent English language enthusiast. She lends her writing talents to Difference Wiki, a prominent website that specializes in comparisons, offering readers insightful analyses that both captivate and inform.
Co-written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
