Tap vs Utilise - What's the difference?

tap | utilise |

As an initialism tap

is .

As an adjective utilise is

used, in use.

As a verb utilise is

tap

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) , from the noun.

Noun

(en noun)

A tapering cylindrical pin or peg used to stop the vent in a cask; a spigot.

A device used to dispense liquids.

We don't have bottled water; you'll have to get it from the tap .

Liquor drawn through a tap; hence, a certain kind or quality of liquor.

a liquor of the same tap

A place where liquor is drawn for drinking; a taproom; a bar.

(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.

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.

An interception of communication by authority.

Derived terms

* taproom * taproot * tap water

Synonyms

* (device to dispense liquid) faucet, handle, spigot, spout

Verb

(tapp)

To furnish with taps.

To draw off liquid from a vessel.

He tapped a new barrel of beer.

To place a listening or recording device on a telephone or wired connection.

They can't tap the phone without a warrant.

To intercept a communication without authority.

He was known to tap cable television

(mechanical) To cut an internal screw thread.

Tap an M3 thread all the way through the hole.

Derived terms

* on tap * on the tap * tap into * tapped out

Synonyms

* (intercept communications) eavesdrop

Noun

(en noun)

Device used to listen in secretly on telephone calls.

Etymology 2

From (etyl) tappen, teppen, from (etyl) tapper, .

Verb

(tapp)

To strike lightly.

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.

To make a sharp noise.

The tree, swaying in the breeze, began to tap on the window pane.

To designate for some duty or for membership, as in 'a tap on the shoulder'.

(slang) To have sexual intercourse with.

I would tap that hot girl over there.

I'd tap that.

(combat sports) To submit to an opponent by tapping one's hand repeatedly.

(combat sports) To force (an opponent) to submit.

* 2000' October 14, "K®Æz¥ k ° †€°" (username), " Kimo ' Tapped Sakuraba", in alt.ufc, Usenet:

Hard to believe , but 4 years can make a difference.

* 2003' April 2, "Eddie" (username), " I ' Tapped Somebody!", in rec.martial-arts, Usenet:

Just started bjj [= couple of months ago and i finally tapped' someone!!! WOOOHOO! The guy i ' tapped has been traiing a few more months than me, outweighs me by at least 30 pounds, and is in great shape from the army.

* 2004 April 7, "Araxen" (username), " Re: UFC vs. Boxing", in rec.sport.boxing, Usenet:

weighs and he still tapped Butterbean.

To put a new sole or heel on.

to tap shoes

Synonyms

* (sense) hit, patter, pound, rap, strike * (to make a sharp noise) bang, ping, rap * (to submit to an opponent) tap out * (to force an opponent to submit) tap out

Noun

(en noun)

A gentle or slight blow; a light rap; a pat.

(Addison)

When Steve felt a tap on his shoulder, he turned around.

(computing) The act of touching a touch screen.

A piece of leather fastened upon the bottom of a boot or shoe in repairing or renewing the sole or heel; a heeltap.

(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.

(Wilhelm)

Anagrams

* * * * ----

utilise

English

Alternative forms

* utilize

Verb

(utilis)

To make useful, to find a practical use for.

To make (l) of; to use.

To make best use of; to use to its fullest extent, potential, or ability.

To make do with; to use in manner different from that originally intendedT.A.R. Cheney, Getting the Words Right , Writer's Digest Books (1983).

Usage notes

Many style guides have advised against utilize and utilise'', arguing that the simpler verb use is always preferable (and analogously, that the noun ''use'' is preferable to ''utilization'' and ''utilisation'').Sir Ernest Gowers 1965 ''The Complete Plain Words'' Oxford: Oxford University PressEric Partridge 1973 ''Usage and Abusage: A Guide to Good English'' England: Penguin BooksJohn E. Kahn (ed) 1985 ''The Right Word at the Right Time'' London:Readers DigestPam Peters 1995 ''The Cambridge Australian English Style Guide'' Cambridge:Cambridge University Press When used simply as a synonym in ordinary writing (as in “please ''utilise the rear door when exiting the aircraft”) it can strike readers as pretentious, and so should be used sparingly.New Oxford American Dictionary 3rd edition (c) 2010 by Oxford University Press, Inc. American novelist (David Foster Wallace) calls it a puff word.He continues: "Since it does nothing that good old use doesn't do, its extra letters and syllables don't make a writer seem smarter. I tell my students that using utilize makes you seem either pompous or so insecure that you'll use pointlessly big words in an attempt to look smart." Others argue that utilise has other senses, and is acceptable or even necessary (instead of (term)) in such senses. One such sense is “make best use of” (profitable, practical use, not just general use), as in “if we fail to utilise all resources, we will fail” – here the nuance is not simply “use”, but “make best use of”. Further, in American usage, (term) can imply use outside an object’s intended purpose.

Synonyms

* employ * exploit * use

Derived terms

* (l) * (l) * (l)

References

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