Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To express approval, especially by clapping the hands.
  • intransitive verb To express approval of (someone or something) especially by such clapping.
  • intransitive verb To commend highly; praise.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To praise or show approval of by clapping the hands, acclamation, or other significant sign.
  • To praise in any way, as by words or actions; commend; approve.
  • Synonyms Extol, etc. (see praise, v.), cheer, cry up, magnify.
  • To express approval by clapping the hands or by other similar means.
  • To give praise; express approval.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To express approbation loudly or significantly.
  • transitive verb To show approval of by clapping the hands, acclamation, or other significant sign.
  • transitive verb To praise by words; to express approbation of; to commend; to approve.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun obsolete Applause; applauding.
  • noun obsolete Plaudit.
  • verb transitive, intransitive To express approval (of something) by clapping the hands.
  • verb transitive, intransitive To praise, or express approval for something or someone.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb express approval of
  • verb clap one's hands or shout after performances to indicate approval

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English applauden, from Latin applaudere : ad-, ad- + plaudere, to clap.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin applaudere ("to clap the hands together, applaud"), from ad ("to") + plaudere ("to strike, clap").

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Examples

  • What I do not applaud is the Olympic committee (both internationally andVANOC) which makes their rules over those jurisdictions civic, provincial and federal.

    Why Protest the Olympics « Colleen Anderson 2009

  • I again applaud you on your efforts to keep track of individuals who mis-represent their service for our great country, and who also as Mckay did, lie about medals earned.

    Heroes or Villains? 2010

  • What I think we can all applaud is the choice to put classical musicians in the spotlight.

    A New Williams Work for a Momentous Occasion - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com 2009

  • So in many ways you would think that my book would be the kind of book that he would applaud, which is, "Oh, the real story, the real truth."

    Divided Lives: The Public and Private Struggles of Three Accomplished Women 1995

  • So she watched with amusement recently as a judge on "So You Think You Can Dance" used the expression to applaud a hip-hop performance.

    NYT > Home Page By ELAINE STUART 2011

  • Prager's courage also reflects another value we should applaud, which is compassion. bloodthirsty calls for Bernie Madoff's head, the utter lack of compassion, the refusal to reflect on whether our wealth-obsessed culture has any responsibility to bear in this affair,

    InformationWeek - All Stories And Blogs 2009

  • Prager's courage also reflects another value we should applaud, which is compassion. bloodthirsty calls for Bernie Madoff's head, the utter lack of compassion, the refusal to reflect on whether our wealth-obsessed culture has any responsibility to bear in this affair,

    InformationWeek - All Stories And Blogs 2009

  • Here's a bit from "A Proposal Under Difficulties", featuring Barlow and Yardsley, two competitors for the affections of Dorothy, where Bangs comes awfully close to inventing emoticons, or at least the 'applaud' sign for television audiences.

    Book 24: The Bicyclers and Three Other Farces eddvick 2008

  • From these pages, is also possible to interact with the owners: you can "applaud" completed goals, subscribe to the page you will be advised every time a new entry is posted or message him.

    Archive 2008-02-01 2008

  • He goes over there, he's given his ideas, I kind of applaud that, I think that's real good, he looks knowledgeable in stuff and people say, hey, this guy knows what he's talking about.

    CNN Transcript Jul 18, 2008 2008

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