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
Derived Forms
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applaudernoun
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overapplaudverb
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reapplaudverb
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applaudingadjective
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self-applaudingadjective
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unapplaudedadjective
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unapplaudingadjective
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well-applaudedadjective
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applaudinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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applaudsimple
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applaudssimple
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have applaudedperfect
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has applaudedperfect
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am applaudingprogressive
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are applaudingprogressive
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is applaudingprogressive
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have been applaudingperfect progressive
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has been applaudingperfect progressive
Past
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applaudedsimple
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had applaudedperfect
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was applaudingprogressive
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were applaudingprogressive
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had been applaudingperfect progressive
Future
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.
The Newport Beach Police Assn. took to social media to applaud the efforts of authorities, who, according to its statement, were outnumbered 500 to 1.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 5, 2026
Personally, I applaud the president and his family, at least for their chutzpah.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 2, 2026
Local activists applaud such measures yet demand more be done.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
The streets around the Manhattan venue have become a rallying point for thousands of fans to cheer on their team, as celebrity superfans including Spike Lee, Timothee Chalamet and Ben Stiller applaud courtside.
From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026
The crowd stood to applaud me as I walked to the bench.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
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.
