clap

¹ American  

[klap] / klæp /

verb (used with object)

• claps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• clapped,
  past participle,  past
• clapping
  present participle

1. to strike the palms of (one's hands) against one another resoundingly, and usually repeatedly, especially to express approval.

   She clapped her hands in appreciation.

2. to strike (someone) amicably with a light, open-handed slap, as in greeting, encouragement, or the like.

   He clapped his friend on the back.

3. to strike (an object) against something quickly and forcefully, producing an abrupt, sharp sound, or a series of such sounds.

   to clap a book on the table.

4. to bring together forcefully (facing surfaces of the same object).

   She clapped the book shut.

5. to applaud (a performance, speech, speaker, etc.) by clapping the hands.

   The audience clapped the actors at the end of the act.

6. to put or place quickly or forcefully: She clapped her hand over his mouth.

   Can you clap a lid on that jar?

   She clapped her hand over his mouth.

   They clapped him in jail.

7. to make or arrange hastily (often followed by together orup ).

   He clapped together dinner from stuff in the pantry and leftovers from the fridge.

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verb (used without object)

• claps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• clapped,
  past participle,  past
• clapping
  present participle

1. to clap the hands, as to express approval; applaud.

   After the audience stopped clapping, the tenor sang two encores.

2. to make an abrupt, sharp sound, as of flat surfaces striking against one another.

   The shutters clapped in the wind.

3. to move or strike with such a sound.

   She clapped across the room in her slippers.

noun

1. an act or instance of clapping.

2. the abrupt, sharp sound produced by clapping.

3. a resounding blow; slap.

4. a loud and abrupt or explosive noise, as of thunder.

5. a sudden stroke, blow, or act.

6. Printing. clapper.

7. Obsolete. a sudden mishap.

verb phrase

1. clap back see clapback.

idioms

1. clap eyes on. eye.

2. clap hold of, to take hold of.

clap ² American  

[klap] / klæp /

noun

Slang: Vulgar.

1. Often the clap gonorrhea.

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clap ¹ British  

/ klæp /

verb

1. to make or cause to make a sharp abrupt sound, as of two nonmetallic objects struck together

2. to applaud (someone or something) by striking the palms of the hands together sharply

3. (tr) to strike (a person) lightly with an open hand, in greeting, encouragement, etc

4. (tr) to place or put quickly or forcibly

   they clapped him into jail

5. (of certain birds) to flap (the wings) noisily

6. (tr; foll by up or together) to contrive or put together hastily

   they soon clapped up a shed

7. informal to catch sight of

8. informal to grasp suddenly or forcibly

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noun

1. the sharp abrupt sound produced by striking the hands together

2. the act of clapping, esp in applause

   he deserves a good clap

3. a sudden sharp sound, esp of thunder

4. a light blow

5. archaic a sudden action or mishap

clap ² British  

/ klæp /

noun

1. a slang word for gonorrhoea

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• clapping
  present
• clapped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• clap
  simple
• claps
  simple
• have clapped
  perfect
• has clapped
  perfect
• am clapping
  progressive
• are clapping
  progressive
• is clapping
  progressive
• have been clapping
  perfect progressive
• has been clapping
  perfect progressive

Past

• clapped
  simple
• had clapped
  perfect
• was clapping
  progressive
• were clapping
  progressive
• had been clapping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will clap
  simple
• will have clapped
  perfect
• will be clapping
  progressive
• will have been clapping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of clap¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English clappen, Old English clæppan; cognate with Middle Low German kleppen

Origin of clap²

First recorded in 1580–90; akin to Middle French clapoir “bubo,” clapier “brothel,” Old Provençal clapier “warren”

Explanation

To clap is to strike your hands together. After an awesome play, an audience will clap and maybe even stand up and hoot. A clap is also any loud or sharp noise or collision, like a clap of thunder. After you see a performance, it's polite to clap — smack your hands together quickly and repeatedly. To clap also means to put something down quickly and with force, like if you clap a plate on a table. Any sharp, loud sound is a clap, like a clap caused by an explosion. Clapping two objects together quickly will cause a clap. All types of claps and clapping involve sharp movements and loud sounds.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clap claps clapped clapping

All you have to do is clap your hands and believe!

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

Music is embedded in our brains and in our bodies, expressed with every rhythmic breath and step we take, each time we clap our hands, stomp our feet, beat our chests, whistle, hum or sing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

A clap of thunder cracked over the town of Lege-Cap-Ferret, and a few raindrops started to fall over the coastal region that has seen France's worst wildfire since 1949.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

One scene even has a comic slow clap that, in my theater, didn’t get a reaction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

The Phillies pitcher strikes out the hitter on three straight pitches, and I clap along with everyone else, then clear my throat.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

A powerhouse version of Dangerous Woman claps like thunder; and Grande's vocal riffs on Safety Net are so tremendously colossal they should be registered as the eighth wonder of the world.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

As we sat in the hot Cupertino sun, I noticed long stretches of attentive silence, occasional polite claps and a few cheers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026

Anderson stops at second base, claps his hands four times, then stands there quietly.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 19, 2026

Her poised smile and claps resemble her father’s gestures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 28, 2026

His voice is rising now, and claps of thunder are exploding throughout the room.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

When Verdugo appointed himself mayor, the audience whooped and clapped.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

The ex-Manchester mayor was clapped and cheered as some 200 Labour MPs welcomed him back to parliament after a nine-year absence for his swearing in on Monday, hours after Starmer tendered his resignation.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

Audiences showered confetti, clapped and whistled when his name appeared in the opening credits.

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026

One star seemed genuinely enthralled that people recognized her and clapped when she came out, the other one seemed like he couldn’t get out of the show fast enough and get back to bed.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026

To make the ponies move so I could see how they walked, I stomped my foot, clapped my hands, and shouted, “Hey!” in a loud voice.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

There was a telltale uncanniness to it—people clapping too slowly, as if underwater—but there was no disclaimer that it was fake.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

The two-time Oscar winner's words were greeted with cheers and clapping from the audience.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

They stood onstage in a circle, clapping out the permutations of shifting meters—7 beats, 6 beats, or 5—that shape the three sections of a then-brand-new piece, “Fluoroscope.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

In Kyiv, an AFP reporter saw protesters clapping and banging the cardboard placards that became a symbol of last summer's anti-government protests, chanting "shame" and "Fedorov".

From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026

Mr. Stokely said, clapping me on the back.

From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman

Related Words

• bang
• cheer
• pat
• slap