verb (used with object)
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.
verb (used without object)
8.
to clap the hands, as to express approval; applaud: After the audience stopped clapping, the tenor sang two encores.
9.
to make an abrupt, sharp sound, as of flat surfaces striking against one another: The shutters clapped in the wind.
10.
to move or strike with such a sound: She clapped across the room in her slippers.
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Clap
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| to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle. |
noun
Idioms 11.
an act or instance of clapping.
12.
the abrupt, sharp sound produced by clapping.
13.
a resounding blow; slap.
14.
a loud and abrupt or explosive noise, as of thunder.
15.
a sudden stroke, blow, or act.
18.
19.
clap hold of, Nautical. to take hold of.
Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English clappen, Old English clæppan; cognate with Middle Low German kleppen
1175–1225; Middle English clappen, Old English clæppan; cognate with Middle Low German kleppen
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To clap
Collins
World English Dictionary
clap1 (klæp) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb , claps, clapping, clapped | |
| 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; |
| 7. | informal clap eyes on to catch sight of |
| 8. | informal clap hold of to grasp suddenly or forcibly |
| —n | |
| 9. | the sharp abrupt sound produced by striking the hands together |
| 10. | the act of clapping, esp in applause: he deserves a good clap |
| 11. | a sudden sharp sound, esp of thunder |
| 12. | a light blow |
| 13. | archaic a sudden action or mishap |
| [Old English clæppan; related to Old High German klepfen, Middle Dutch klape rattle, Dutch klepel clapper; all of imitative origin] | |
| clap2 (klæp) | |
| —n | |
| the clap a slang word for gonorrhoea | |
| [C16: from Old French clapoir venereal sore, from clapier brothel, from Old Provençal, from clap heap of stones, of obscure origin] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
clap
O.E. clæppan "to throb, beat," echoic. Of thunder, late 14c. Clapper "tongue of a bell" is from 1379.
clap
"gonorrhea," 1587, of unknown origin, perhaps from M.E. claper, from O.Fr. clapoire, originally "rabbit burrow" but given a slang extension to "brothel." Originally also a v., "to infect with clap."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
clap (klāp)
n.
gonorrhea. Often used with the.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Slang Dictionary
clap definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
They might moan and shift around, but they do not look toward a loud hand clap or pull away from a pinch.
And when the slap connected with his wet cheek, the loud clap stung my face in a phantom sort of way.
It also features the inevitable whispering choir whose volume rises in the chorus and gets punctuated by a cymbal clap.
The golf clap wasn't on the drawing board for these shoots.
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