noun · 3 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
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈtæpæs/
Received-Pronunciation:/-pəs/
Received-Pronunciation:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈtæpəs/
General-American:/ˈtɑː-/
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Northern-California:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈtæp.æs/
General-American:/ˈtæp.əs/
India:/ˈt̪ɐ.pɐs/
CMU ARPABET:T AH1 P AH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks such as croquettes, cured meat, potato salad, and seafood, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: plural, plural-normally
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
(The practice of) asceticism and self-discipline.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Hinduism, Jainism, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
plural of tapa
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, plural
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Spanish tapas, the plural of tapa (“appetizer, tapa; cap, lid (cover of a container)”) (from the fact that plates of tapas were originally placed on the tops of glasses of alcoholic beverages as lids), from Gothic *𐍄𐌰𐍀𐍀𐌰 (*tappa), from Proto-Germanic *tappô (“plug; tap”), from Proto-Indo-European *deh2p- (“to lose; to sacrifice”). Doublet of tap.
From Sanskrit तप् (tap, “heat; to be hot”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tep- (“to be warm or hot”). Related to tepid.
From tapa + -s.
Across languages
Translations
41 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
տապաս
(tapas)
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Bulgarian:
тапас
(tapas)
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Catalan:
tapes
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Chinese Mandarin:
塔帕斯
(tǎpàsī)
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Cyrillic:
тапас
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Czech:
tapas
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Danish:
tapas
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Dutch:
tapas
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Dutch:
tapa's
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Finnish:
tapas
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
French:
tapas
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Galician:
tapas
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Georgian:
ტაპასი
(ṭaṗasi)
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Greek:
μεζές
(mezés)
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Hebrew:
טאפס
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Hungarian:
tapas
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Japanese:
タパス
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Korean:
타파스
(tapaseu)
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Norwegian Bokmål:
tapas
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Norwegian Nynorsk:
tapas
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Polish:
tapas
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Portuguese:
tapas
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Portuguese:
petiscos
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Russian:
та́пас
(tápas)
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Spanish:
tapas
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Swedish:
tapas
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Ukrainian:
та́пас
(tápas)
— variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well
Bengali:
তপস
(topoś)
— (the practice of) asceticism and self-discipline
Chinese Mandarin:
苦行
(kǔxíng)
— (the practice of) asceticism and self-discipline
Hindi:
तप
(tap)
— (the practice of) asceticism and self-discipline
Japanese:
苦行
(kugyō)
— (the practice of) asceticism and self-discipline
Kannada:
ತಪಸ್ಸು
(tapassu)
— (the practice of) asceticism and self-discipline
Newar:
तपः
(tapa:)
— (the practice of) asceticism and self-discipline
Odia:
ତପସ୍ୟା
(tapasyā)
— (the practice of) asceticism and self-discipline
Polish:
tapas
— (the practice of) asceticism and self-discipline
Russian:
та́пас
(tápas)
— (the practice of) asceticism and self-discipline
Sanskrit:
तपः
(tapaḥ)
— (the practice of) asceticism and self-discipline
Tamil:
தவம்
(tavam)
— (the practice of) asceticism and self-discipline
Telugu:
తపస్సు
(tapassu)
— (the practice of) asceticism and self-discipline
Thai:
ตบะ
(dtà-bà)
— (the practice of) asceticism and self-discipline
Ukrainian:
та́пас
(tápas)
— (the practice of) asceticism and self-discipline
