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.
"I have to applaud the BBC for the ambition," says Adrian Bradley of the Euro Trip podcast, which follows the competition's ups-and-downs.
From BBC • May 17, 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
One woman stood to applaud as he continued to lean into shared ground: “We pray for the same things.”
From Slate • Apr. 29, 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.
