clap

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To hit your hands together repeatedly to show you are pleased.

   The audience clapped loudly after the concert.

2. 2
   noun

   The act of hitting your hands together, or the sound it makes.

   He summoned the waiter with a clap.

3. 3
   noun

   A sudden loud noise, especially of thunder.

   A clap of thunder made everyone jump.

4. 4
   verb

   To put or place something suddenly and firmly.

   The judge clapped him in jail.

Common collocations

• clap together Verb + adverb

Uncertain. Probably from Old French clapoir (“bubo, inflammation from infection”), from clapier (“brothel”). May also be from old, unsafe treatments for gonorrhea, such as clapping the penis between a book and a hard surface to break up obstructions in the urethra and permit urination. Attested from the 16th century.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images