applaud
Americanverb (used without object)
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to clap the hands as an expression of approval, appreciation, acclamation, etc..
They applauded wildly at the end of the opera.
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to express approval; give praise; acclaim.
verb (used with object)
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to clap the hands so as to show approval, appreciation, etc., of.
to applaud an actor; to applaud a speech.
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to praise or express approval of.
to applaud a person's ambition.
verb
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to indicate approval of (a person, performance, etc) by clapping the hands
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(usually tr) to offer or express approval or praise of (an action, person, or thing)
I applaud your decision
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of applaud
1530–40; < Latin applaudere, equivalent to ap- ap- 1 + plaudere to clap the hands
Explanation
To applaud is to show approval, encouragement, or appreciation. You can applaud by clapping your hands at a performance, or you can applaud with just your mouth, as when you tell someone "I applaud your decision to start exercising." The verb applaud goes back to the Latin verb applaudere, "to clap," and it came into English use in the 15th century. Part of the word applaud is laud, which means "praise," and laud is close in spelling to loud. When you applaud, you give loud praise by clapping you hands together. If you really like what someone is doing and want to pat them on the back for it or show encouragement, you might just say "I applaud your efforts."
Vocabulary lists containing applaud
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act V
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"Casey at the Bat"
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Unit 3, Week 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At the opening event, the emcee announced that Sanders was in attendance and the audience rose to applaud.
From Salon • May 27, 2026
First of all, I applaud your dogged determination to make sure that your server got their due.
From MarketWatch • May 14, 2026
At those prices, “you’d better laugh, give it a standing ovation, applaud, put it on Yelp and Google—the whole works,” said producer and theater communications executive Jay Michaels.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
“His unethical actions have had real, lasting consequences for our democracy, and we applaud the California Supreme Court’s decision to disbar him.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
Under the trees, the downpour is making the coconut fronds applaud.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
