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
- applauder noun
- applauding adjective
- applaudingly adverb
- overapplaud verb
- reapplaud verb
- self-applauding adjective
- unapplauded adjective
- unapplauding adjective
- well-applauded adjective
Etymology
Origin of applaud
1530–40; < Latin applaudere, equivalent to ap- ap- 1 + plaudere to clap the hands
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.
Some of those gathered were seen applauding as her coffin was driven through the French Riviera town after a service in a local church.
From BBC
It also meant he could get the dream send-off as Semenyo was substituted with seconds left, allowing him to soak up the adulation from the home supporters as well as applaud them back.
From BBC
School districts “will need to revisit their policies on providing transparency to parents and what the process should look like,” said Lance Christensen, vice president of California Policy Center, which applauded the ruling.
From Los Angeles Times
“As if the people of Colombia would applaud an invasion of their brother.”
From Salon
Lawmakers wore scarves in the colours of the national flag and chanted "long live Algeria" as they applauded the bill's passage through parliament, AFP news agency reports.
From BBC
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.
