clapper
Americannoun
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a person who applauds.
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the tongue of a bell.
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Slang. the tongue.
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Usually clappers. two flat sticks held between the fingers and struck rhythmically against each other to produce abrupt, sharp sounds.
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Printing. a platen press.
noun
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a person or thing that claps
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a contrivance for producing a sound of clapping, as for scaring birds
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Also called: tongue. a small piece of metal suspended within a bell that causes it to sound when made to strike against its side
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a slang word for tongue
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informal to move extremely fast
Etymology
Origin of clapper
First recorded in 1250–1300, clapper is from the Middle English word claper. See clap 1, -er 1
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.
Upon hearing the 10-second clapper in the final round, Chisora threw everything at Wallin and put down his rival, who was saved by the bell.
From BBC • Feb. 8, 2025
“There is this secretive marsh bird called a clapper rail,” Mx.
From New York Times • Jun. 6, 2023
When the sound is rolling and the clapper has been hit, I never say “Action.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2023
He measured mileage by attaching a rod inside a wagon wheel — based on the circumference of the wheel, a clapper would sound at each mile and that’s where a marker would go.
From Washington Post • Aug. 22, 2020
According to legend, if they were close enough, any sound the clapper made would be echoed by the bell, still lost in the Ephygian Bay with the Desert Gold.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
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.
