Phrase guide

tap into

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

verb

Meaning 1

To establish a connection with (something), especially in order to take advantage.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To access (a resource or object).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • When he ran out of money, he decided to tap into his trust fund.
  • 2004 Mark-Anthony Falzon - Cosmopolitan Connections: The Sindhi Diaspora A significant number of Sindhi businesses in London tap into their connections with India and elsewhere to cater for the 'ethnic niche' market.
  • 19 December 2014, Paul M Farber in The Guardian Online, Die-ins demand that we bear witness to black people's fears that they'll be next Though the current wave of die-ins began after grand juries in Ferguson and New York City refused to indict the cops who used lethal force against Michael Brown and Eric Garner, they tap into a deep well of what professor Salamishah Tillet calls “civic estrangement” from a state that ignores excessive police violence against black and brown people.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.