English Explanatory Dictionary

clap

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The act of striking the palms of the hands, or any two surfaces, together.
  2. The explosive sound of thunder.
  3. Any loud, sudden, explosive sound made by striking hard surfaces together, or resembling such a sound.
  4. A slap with the hand, usually in a jovial manner.
  5. A single, sudden act or motion; a stroke; a blow.
  6. The nether part of the beak of a hawk.
  7. A dropping of cow dung (presumably from the sound made as it hits the ground)
verb
  1. To strike the palms of the hands together, creating a sharp sound.
  2. To applaud.
  3. To slap with the hand in a jovial manner.
  4. To bring two surfaces together forcefully, creating a sharp sound.
  5. To slam (a door or window); formerly often construed with to.
  6. To create or assemble (something) hastily (usually followed by up or together).
  7. To set or put, usually in haste.
  8. To shoot (somebody) with a gun.
  9. To defeat.
  10. To have sex, fornicate, copulate.
noun
  1. Synonym of gonorrhea.

Pronunciation

/klæp/ En-us-ncalif-theclap.ogg

Word forms

clap claps clapping clapped clapt

Etymology

From Middle English clappen, from Old English clæppan, *clappian, from Proto-West Germanic *klappijan, *klappōn, from Proto-Germanic *klappōną (“to clap”). Cognate with Dutch klappen, Icelandic klappa, Faroese klappa and Danish klappe.

Synonyms

thunderclap applaud beclap acclaim hurrah acclamate hail barrack cheer cheer on clap encheer hurray huzzah gonorrhea

Related words

clap skate applaud applause

Derived words

afterclap after-clap clapalong clapboard clapbread clapcake clap cold clapdish clap-gate clapless clapnest clapometer clap-o-meter clappy clap-sill clapstick clapter claptrap clapweed fairy clap golf clap handclap lip clap slow clap thunderclap umbeclap clap net and then everyone clapped and then everyone on the bus clapped beclap clap back clap cheeks clap eyes on clap hold of clap in clap-in-clap-out clap on clap one's hands red clap out clapped out clapper clapping clappingly clap someone's cheeks clap together clap up everyone clapped stomp clap hey unclap funny as a dose of the clap
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
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