clapclap1 /klæp/ ●●○ verb (past tense and past participle clapped, present participle clapping) 
One man began to clap, and others joined in. The couple were cheered and clapped on their arrival. The audience clapped politely but without much enthusiasm.2[transitive] if you clap your hands, you hit your hands together a few times to attract someone’s attention or to show that you are pleased: Narouz clapped his hands and a servant entered. Mandy laughed and clapped her hands in delight.3[transitive] to put your hand on something quickly and firmly: ‘Mick!’ She clapped her hand over her mouth. ‘I’d forgotten!’ Ben grinned and clapped me amiably on the shoulder.4clap eyes on somebody/something British English informal to see someone or something, especially when you did not expect to: Mark had loved the house from the moment he clapped eyes on it.5clap somebody in prison/jail/irons literary to suddenly put someone in prison or chains—clapping noun [uncountable]: Each song was greeted with enthusiastic clapping.
WORD ORIGINclap1
Origin:
Old English clæppanVERB TABLE
clap
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | clap |
| he, she, it | claps | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | clapped |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have clapped |
| he, she, it | has clapped | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had clapped |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will clap |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have clapped |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am clapping |
| he, she, it | is clapping | |
| you, we, they | are clapping | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was clapping |
| you, we, they | were clapping | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been clapping |
| he, she, it | has been clapping | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been clapping |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be clapping |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been clapping |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A crowd gathered to watch the runners, clapping their hands and urging them on.
- Fans usually clap the batsman when he leaves the field.
- Mrs. Phillips clapped her hands and yelled at the dog to come inside.
- The audience clapped and cheered.
- The audience cheered and clapped as the curtain came down.
- His hands were clapped to his face, and almost at once blood began trickling through his fingers.
- I might jump up and clap my hands.
- Jack clapped him on the shoulder.
- Nutty got a glimpse of Gloria and Seb, jaws dropping, as everyone started to jeer and clap.
- The sound of no hands clapping.
- This measurement was for his new uniform, she assured him, while his colleagues wolf-whistled and clapped.
- Where Turtles us'd to clap their silken Wings.
Longman Language Activatorto clap
to hit your hands together loudly and quickly to show that you approve of and are pleased with a play, someone's performance, someone's actions etc: · The audience cheered and clapped as the curtain came down.· Fans usually clap the batsman when he leaves the field.clap your hands: · A crowd gathered to watch the runners, clapping their hands and urging them on.
if people applaud , they clap excitedly, and often for a long time, in order to show how much they liked something or to show their support for someone: · The crowd applauded when Evans promised to cut taxes.· A group of supporters applauded the strikers as they were led into court.
to give a loud, happy shout expressing admiration, approval, and often excitement, for example at a sports event or after a speech: · The audience were now on their feet, cheering wildly.· Thousands of people lined Broadway to cheer the Yankees and celebrate their World Series triumph.
the sound of a crowd of people clapping and cheering someone, to show their approval and admiration: · There was loud applause when the band members ran onto the stage.a round of applause (=a short period of applause): · The candidate's promise to improve public schools was greeted with a loud round of applause.applause dies down (=gradually stops): · The conductor waited for the applause to die down before signalling for the orchestra to begin.
if someone receives a standing ovation at the end of a performance or speech, the people who are watching or listening to them stand up, clap, and cheer, to show their approval and admiration: · Miller got a standing ovation when he entered the game.give somebody/something a standing ovation: · The speech was given a standing ovation.
what you say when you want someone to clap spoken if people give a performer a big hand , they clap at the end of their performance, to encourage them and to show their approval - use this especially to ask people to do this: · Let's give young Suzy a big hand for the marvellous dancing display!
spoken informal use this to tell people to clap in order to show that they have enjoyed something, or approve of someone: · Come on everyone, let's give it up for Tom Jones!
spoken use this to tell people to clap to show their approval for someone who is being introduced or a performance: · Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together and give a warm welcome to Ricardo Montalban!
to show that you dislike a person or a performance to shout 'boo' to show that you do not like a speaker, performance etc: · Some people in the crowd booed when she walked on stage.· Taylor was booed as he left the field.
to make a noise which sounds like 'ssss' to show that you do not like a speaker, performance etc: · Relatives of the victim hissed as the killer was led from the courtroom.hiss at: · Hundreds of people shouted and hissed at the prime minister.
to shout rude remarks at someone or laugh unkindly at them to show that you strongly disapprove of them or their performance: · The fans jeered as it became obvious that their team was going to lose.· The mayor was jeered and booed as he tried to speak to the crowd.
to hit someone in a friendly way etc to hit someone on the back with the flat part of your hand, for example as a friendly greeting or in order to praise them: · "How are you? I haven't seen you for ages," she said, slapping Jim on the back.· The coach said "Well done!'' and clapped each player on the back as they entered the changing room.
to gently hit someone, usually on their back, shoulder, or head, in order to praise them or show them that you like them: · Roz reached over and patted her hand.· He got up, patted her on the shoulder, and gave her a quick kiss.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY ‘Mick!’ She clapped her hand over her mouth. ‘I’d forgotten!’ Ben grinned and clapped me amiably on the shoulder.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
‘Mick!’ She clapped her hand over her mouth. ‘I’d forgotten!’ Ben grinned and clapped me amiably on the shoulder.· Most of the audience clapped but a few people jeered.
· They were singing and clapping their hands.
(=one extremely loud sound)· Lightning flickered across the sky, followed seconds later by a loud crack of thunder.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· Malik clapped him on the back.
· To me, butterflies are always the sound of one hand clapping.· His hands were clapped to his face, and almost at once blood began trickling through his fingers.· His face was livid, and his hand had clapped to his sword.· Stop clapping with one hand, and start clapping with two hands at your own jokes.· People say their hands hurt from clapping so much.· A small boy in pajamas and socks wanders blearily behind his father, hands clapped over his ears.· The sound of no hands clapping.· The music is marked by sweeping melodies and rhythmic hand clapping.
· The melody swooped and split into two, harmonizing with itself. People clapped.· There is little wonder that people clapped.· A lot of people clapped and whistled.· The people on the sidewalk clapped and then went away.· Then some people stood up and clapped.
· I clapped Jamie on the shoulder a couple of times and we made for the street.· Jack clapped him on the shoulder.· All around the smoking room, gentlemen seemed to be standing in clusters laughing and clapping each other on the shoulder.· He clapped me on the shoulder.· He clapped me on the shoulder, proclaiming I was a great fellow, before sweeping away to join the dancers.
VERB· They laugh, and clap everything.· All around the smoking room, gentlemen seemed to be standing in clusters laughing and clapping each other on the shoulder.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► clap somebody in prison/jail/ironsPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1[intransitive, transitive] to hit your hands against each other many times to make a sound that shows your approval, agreement, or enjoyment: - And that's another thing, none of us have clapped eyes on him.
- But before I clap eyes on his miserable face, I intend to down as many cups of sack as I can!
- Even so I was surprised to know that Louise has never clapped eyes on her.
- I need you so much at times that I wish, sincerely wish I'd never clapped eyes on you.
- Peter Moores impresses more with bat and gloves every time I clap eyes on him.
- Bedford disliked Halsey the minute he set eyes on him.
- How could she possibly know, since he had not set eyes on the girl?
- I bonded on the second night I laid eyes on Hyakutake.
- Just hours earlier she had set eyes on the pretty two-year-old and sister Anna-Camilla, seven, for the first time.
- Never anywhere have I set eyes on such a one.
- No sooner did she set eyes on the gentleman than she recognised his pecuniary position to be merely temporary.
- The couple fell in love before they had even set eyes on each other during a six-month long distance courtship.
One man began to clap, and others joined in. The couple were cheered and clapped on their arrival. The audience clapped politely but without much enthusiasm.2[transitive] if you clap your hands, you hit your hands together a few times to attract someone’s attention or to show that you are pleased: Narouz clapped his hands and a servant entered. Mandy laughed and clapped her hands in delight.3[transitive] to put your hand on something quickly and firmly: ‘Mick!’ She clapped her hand over her mouth. ‘I’d forgotten!’ Ben grinned and clapped me amiably on the shoulder.4clap eyes on somebody/something British English informal to see someone or something, especially when you did not expect to: Mark had loved the house from the moment he clapped eyes on it.5clap somebody in prison/jail/irons literary to suddenly put someone in prison or chains—clapping noun [uncountable]: Each song was greeted with enthusiastic clapping.- death certificate
- death-defying
- death duties
- Death in Venice
- death knell
- deathless
- deathly
- death mask
- Death of a Salesman
- death penalty
- death rate
- death rattle
- death row
- death sentence
- death's head
- death squad
- death stare
- death throes
- death toll
- death trap
- Death Valley
- death warrant
- death wish
- deb
- debacle