Manipulation dab E.g. She dabbed at a smudge of lipstick with a tissue. tap E.g. Lindsey tapped at the door of the Empress Suite. lap E.g. Waves lapped at the pebbly sand. paw E.g. Just inside, he pawed at the doorframe and found the flashlight he'd placed there. Impact knock E.g. One of Sam's daughters knocked at the front door until a key landed at her feet, dropped painfully from a bedroom window. Cutting hack E.g. Men hacked at vegetation with ferocious-looking machetes. Cause_harm beat E.g. The old man beat at the thorns with his stick. hammer E.g. He hammered at the Stop button, but it wouldn't respond.