DictionaryAI

applaud

Sayuh-PLAWD/əˈplɔd/UK/əˈplɔːd/

Verbapplauds, applauding, applauded

Noun pluralapplauds

4 meanings of applaud

Practice

  1. 1
    verbtransitive or intransitive
    To clap one's hands together as a way of showing approval, such as of a performance or speech.

    Crowds applaud the dancers with raised hands and loud cheering.

    When the curtain fell, the whole theater applauded.

    Similarclap, cheer

    Oppositeboo, hiss, jeer

    Note

    Both constructions are at home. You can applaud the dancers, with the performer as object, or simply applaud, as an audience does when the curtain falls. Used without an object, the verb often takes a phrase of duration, as in applauded for five minutes, and the people clapping stay the subject either way.

  2. 2
    verbtransitive or intransitive
    To praise someone or something, or to express approval for them.

    Reviewers applauded the author's willingness to tackle difficult subjects.

    Environmental groups applaud whenever a government commits to lower emissions.

    Similarpraise, commend, hail, acclaim, welcome

    Oppositecriticize, condemn, denounce, censure

    Note

    Praise with the hands kept still: the object is usually a quality rather than a performance, such as motives, courage, or a writer's willingness. Shakespeare, writing c. 1607–1608, could already applaude a man's courage. The line with the clapping sense is not always sharp. When Thierry Henry rose from his seat to applaud Van Persie, he was clapping and paying tribute at once.

  3. 3
    nounobsolete
    The act of applauding; the clapping by which approval is shown.

    The crowd's applaud echoed through the hall as the king entered.

    He spoke with such force that a wave of applaud followed.

    Note

    Here the verb itself stands in as a noun, naming the act before applause took over that job. Behind it is Latin applaudere, "to clap the hands together," built from ad, "to," and plaudere, "to strike, clap." The usage is obsolete. You may meet it in older texts, but in your own writing say applause, where the crowd's applaud would read as a slip.

Less common meaning

  1. 4
    nounobsolete
    An expression of praise or commendation; a plaudit.

    The general received the applaud of the senate for his victory.

    His loyalty to the crown deserved the highest applaud.

    Note

    A noun that has dropped out of use: where older English could speak of earning someone's applaud, modern writers say plaudit, praise or commendation. Behind it is Latin plaudere, "to strike, clap," so even this sense of general praise keeps the sound of hands. Unlike the noun for clapping itself, it names the tribute rather than the noise. In modern prose, use applause or plaudits; applaud as a noun belongs to period imitation.

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Origin

From Middle English 'applauden', from Latin 'applaudere' meaning 'to clap the hands together, applaud', formed from 'ad' ('to') and 'plaudere' ('to strike, clap').