dap

UK: /dæp/ US: (dap)

Inflections of 'dap' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

daps

v 3rd person singular

dapping

v pres p

dapped

v past

dapped

v past p

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

dap  (dap), v., dapped, dap•ping, n. 
v.i. 

1. to fish by letting the bait fall lightly on the water.
2. to dip lightly or suddenly into water:
   The bird dapped for the fish.
3. to bounce or skip, as on the surface of a body of water:
   The stone dapped along the surface of the pond.

v.t. 

4. to cause to dip in and out of water:
   to dap one's bait.
5. to cause to skip along the surface of water:
   to dap stones across the river.
6. Building [Carpentry.] to notch (a timber) to receive part of another timber.

n. 

7. Building [Carpentry.] a notch in a timber for receiving part of another timber.

• probably variant of dab¹ 1575–85

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

dap / dæp/ verb (daps, dapping, dapped)(intransitive)

1. to fish with a natural or artificial fly on a floss silk line so that the wind makes the fly bob on and off the surface of the water
2. (as of a bird) to dip lightly into water
3. to bounce or cause to bounce

Etymology: 17th Century: of imitative origin

dap / dæp/ noun

1. 
   another word for plimsoll

Etymology: 20th Century: probably special use of dap¹ (in the sense: to bounce, skip)