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applaud

[ uh-plawd ]
/ əˈplɔd /
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See synonyms for: applaud / applauded / applauding / applauds on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
to clap the hands as an expression of approval, appreciation, acclamation, etc.: They applauded wildly at the end of the opera.
to express approval; give praise; acclaim.
verb (used with object)
to clap the hands so as to show approval, appreciation, etc., of: to applaud an actor; to applaud a speech.
to praise or express approval of: to applaud a person's ambition.
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Origin of applaud

1530–40; <Latin applaudere, equivalent to ap-ap-1 + plaudere to clap the hands

OTHER WORDS FROM applaud

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use applaud in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for applaud

applaud
/ (əˈplɔːd) /

verb
to indicate approval of (a person, performance, etc) by clapping the hands
(usually tr) to offer or express approval or praise of (an action, person, or thing)I applaud your decision

Derived forms of applaud

applauder, nounapplauding, adjectiveapplaudingly, adverb

Word Origin for applaud

C15: from Latin applaudere to clap, from plaudere to beat, applaud
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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