plural daps
chiefly African American English
: a stylized gesture in which two people clasp hands (as in greeting or solidarity) and that often involves a variety of additional gestures (such as bumping fists, snapping fingers, and slapping palms)
Across the U.S. and around the globe, the dap has various marvelous permutations among melanated people. It might be a loud smack of hands, followed by a grip and a shoulder lean-in. Or a four-fingered shake, then sliding together of fingers, then the shoulder lean-in and a back slap. Each gesture wordlessly denotes the depth of respect and intimacy the two people share.—
Rhonda Henderson and Aaron Stallworth
Rhonda Henderson and Aaron Stallworth… [Basketball player Duncan] Robinson and [close friend Harry] Rafferty were having breakfast while Lakers star LeBron James was eating at a nearby table. "LeBron walked over and goes, 'What up, Dunc?'" Rafferty said. "And he gave him a dap. …"—Adam Himmelsbach
Adam Himmelsbach"We ride together, we die together, bad marriage for life!" the two [Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith] joked (using a Bad Boys reference), followed with a loving dap.—Tonja Renée Stidhum
Tonja Renée StidhumFor many years, [Big] B [Brian Keith Jones] was famous for protecting Nelly's [Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., rapper] personal space. But what most folks didn't see was the kind hearted gentle giant that was always quick to lovingly greet with a hug, some dap and a smile.—Delores Shante
—usually used in the phrases give dap(s) or give some dapDelores Shante[Rajai] Davis wasn't in Monday's starting lineup, but he was still out on the left field foul line when the starters were running their pregame sprints "giving daps and doing our handshakes."—Paul Hoynes
Paul HoynesBy the time Jayson Tatum turned around to give teammate Jaylen Brown some dap for a pass to set up an easy layup, Aaron Nesmith's inbounds pass was in his grasp. Tatum knocked the ball back to Brown, who pulled up for a 28-footer. Swish.—Gary Washburn
Gary WashburnOfficer Rick Trevino stepped through the front doors of Bowsher High School and before he could take three paces, his name echoed through the empty hallway. "Trevino!," Anthony Farnum, a Bowsher student, yelled in excitement. … The two then gave each other dap—a less formal, more intimate handshake. It's a greeting often shared between people with mutual respect for one another.—Javonte Anderson
Javonte Anderson
dapped; dapping; daps
chiefly African American English
: to greet (someone) with a stylized gesture that involves clasping hands and incorporating a variety of additional gestures (such as bumping fists, snapping fingers, and slapping palms)
… fans come up to me, they dap me, they express their appreciation for hard work and passion.—NBA player Kevin Garnett, quoted at boston.com
NBA player Kevin Garnett, quoted at boston.comThe way we take care of each other, explained India Luckett of the Stronghold Civic Association, is evident in the nature of how we dap.—Rhonda Henderson and Aaron Stallworth
—usually used with upRhonda Henderson and Aaron StallworthHe dapped up his best friend.
[NFL players] Marshawn Lynch … and Draymond Green bounded off their bus to dap up fans on Lakeside Drive.—Dan Moore
Dan MooreWhile I'll be the first to admit that my husband is one of the best dads I know, he gets a lot of praise heaped on him for doing stuff that I think just comes with the job. I can't tell you how many times I've seen brothers stop and dap him up on the street in our Brooklyn neighborhood just for walking our son to school (no kidding!).—Angela Johnson
Angela Johnson[WNBA players] Natisha Hiedeman and Tiffany Hayes dapped up with a special handshake at center court, surrounded by their teammates as the Mohegan Sun Arena crowd erupted in cheers.—Lila Bromberg
Lila Bromberg
dapped; dapping; daps
1
transitive + intransitive
: to fish by dropping a baited hook or fly (see fly entry 4 sense 3) gently on the surface of the water : dib entry 1
… "dapping" your lure, fly or bait from directly above will provide results.—Jeffrey Walters
Jeffrey Walters2
transitive + intransitive
: to dip or skip gently or quickly on, along, or into the surface of water
dapping stones
When an adult mayfly … lays her eggs … she daps up and down on the surface of the water to dislodge the eggs and cause them to drop into the water.—Bill Bean
Bill BeanA single leaf falls as a bird daps over the water.—John Vachon
John Vachon3
transitive
: to create a notch or slot in (a beam or girder)
To minimize the visibility of the center pier, the girder's dapped (partially cutaway) ends extend into the pier cap.—Civil Engineering
Civil Engineering
dapping
noun
Dapping consists of lowering a fly through the streamside foliage without casting, and dancing it up and down on the surface …
—Ernest Schwiebert
Ernest Schwiebert
plural daps
1
: a baited hook or fly (see fly entry 4 sense 3) that is dropped gently on the surface of the water to catch fish
… young Charlie Cooke, Bonniconlon [Ireland], did well on the dap catching a 1.5 lb trout.—Derek Evans
Derek Evans2
: a notch or slot created in a beam or girder
… the common practice of cutting ''daps'' on the underside of the beams to accommodate the supporting beams appears to have substantial strength-reducing effects.—Adam Taylor et al.
Adam Taylor et al.
diammonium phosphate
Diammonium phosphate (DAP), the world's most commonly used fertilizer, reached its highest price on record last week …—The Lawton (Oklahoma) Constitution
The Lawton (Oklahoma) ConstitutionExamples of dap in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 6 Sep. 2024
Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 27 Oct. 2024
On a walk Thursday through the Coliseum grounds, no fewer than four East Oakland locals interrupted this news organization’s interview to dap up their hometown friend.
—Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2024
The two dapped up, hugged and shared a short conversation before Aubrey went to get ready for the game, which the Cowboys won, 20-15.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 27 Sep. 2024
The locker room exploded after hearing coach Allen quote K. Dot, and one player even dapped him up.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 17 Sep. 2024
Lacob’s Vegas appearance Sitting courtside, Lacob dapped up Floyd Mayweather Jr. and took in the Warriors’ sixth straight Summer League win.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 17 July 2024
In the viral video, Ealy seemingly ignores Majors before dapping up rapper D Smoke and his wife, Sherie.
—Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 11 July 2024
There were dozens of people on stage as Kendrick rapped, danced, and dapped through them for a fifth time.
—Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 20 June 2024
In the class at Westchester High School, their relationship grew from small talk and dapping each other up in the hallways to connecting over their love for Chappelle’s Show, Napoleon Dynamite, the Wayans brothers’ Scary Movie franchise, and Adult Swim.
—Lawrence Burney, Vulture, 5 June 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Noun
Subtle smile lines delicately carve his glowing mahogany skin as multiple daps, hugs, and handshakes are shared.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 6 Sep. 2024
Verb
New Knick Karl-Anthony Towns steps out of layup lines to dap up Cenat.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 27 Oct. 2024
On a walk Thursday through the Coliseum grounds, no fewer than four East Oakland locals interrupted this news organization’s interview to dap up their hometown friend.
—Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2024
The two dapped up, hugged and shared a short conversation before Aubrey went to get ready for the game, which the Cowboys won, 20-15.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 27 Sep. 2024
The locker room exploded after hearing coach Allen quote K. Dot, and one player even dapped him up.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 17 Sep. 2024
Lacob’s Vegas appearance Sitting courtside, Lacob dapped up Floyd Mayweather Jr. and took in the Warriors’ sixth straight Summer League win.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 17 July 2024
In the viral video, Ealy seemingly ignores Majors before dapping up rapper D Smoke and his wife, Sherie.
—Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 11 July 2024
There were dozens of people on stage as Kendrick rapped, danced, and dapped through them for a fifth time.
—Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 20 June 2024
In the class at Westchester High School, their relationship grew from small talk and dapping each other up in the hallways to connecting over their love for Chappelle’s Show, Napoleon Dynamite, the Wayans brothers’ Scary Movie franchise, and Adult Swim.
—Lawrence Burney, Vulture, 5 June 2024
Dictionary Entries Near dap
Cite this Entry
“Dap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dap. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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