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Glite Dictionary
to zap the music

to zap the music

8.2
Turn off or lower the music quickly using a remote
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : bajar la música
  • She quickly zapped the music when the phone started ringing.

Examples

  • Can you zap the music? I'm trying to concentrate on my work.

  • Before heading to bed, he always zaps the music so the house is quiet.

  • Please zap the music before the neighbors complain.

  • Don't zap the music during the party!

  • He zaps the music whenever he wants to hear the TV better.

  • Can you zap the music? I need to take this phone call.

  • Before the meeting starts, she always zaps the music to avoid distractions.

Synonyms

to turn down
vsto zap the music
191 2.7

Make the sound or heat from something lower, for example music

is done quickly, often with a remote and can switch off sound
to mute
vsto zap the music
21 3.1

To stop a sound or notification from making noise

is usually quick with a remote and may switch sound off or lower it

Antonyms

to turn up the volume
10 2.0

Make the sound from a radio, TV, or speaker louder

How Quiet

to turn off
631 1.3
to mute
21 3.1
to zap the music
  • Informal
8.2
to turn down
191 2.7
to lower
802 1.0

Surface Forms

zap the music infinitive
zapped the music past
zapped the music past participle
zapping the music present participle
zaps the music third person singular

Morphology

zap + the + music

Given the provided sense of 'zap' ('to surf channels with remote') combined with 'music', the meaning 'to turn off or quickly change/lower the music with a remote' is directly inferable from the parts. This is a compositional, colloquial verb + object pattern that a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely understand without prior exposure.

Etymology

Zap the music may come from the idea of pressing a small remote or button that sends a quick electric 'zap' to the speakers and stops the sound. That fast 'zap' image helps explain why it means 'to turn off or lower the volume' quickly.