noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Applause; applauding. obsolete
2. 2
   Plaudit. obsolete

Verb

1. 1
   To express approval (of something) by clapping the hands. intransitive, transitive

   "After the performance, the audience applauded for five minutes."

2. 2
   express that something is worthy of praise wordnet
3. 3
   To praise, or express approval for something or someone. intransitive, transitive

   "Although we don't like your methods, we applaud your motives."

4. 4
   clap one's hands or shout after performances to indicate approval wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

clapacclaimpraisebeclapabide byaccede

Antonyms

All antonyms

boodeprecatederogate

Example

More examples

"I applaud your decision to study medicine."

Etymology

From Middle English applauden, from Latin applaudere (“to clap the hands together, applaud”), from ad (“to”) + plaudere (“to strike, clap”).

Related phrases

applaud to the echo

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.