Link Centre Dictionary

clap

UK/klæp/ US/ˈklæp/ fairly common slang
verb (7) noun (3)

verb

1.

put quickly or forcibly

  • “The judge clapped him in jail”
2.

cause to strike the air in flight

  • “The big bird clapped its wings”
3.

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

Synonyms
Antonyms
4.

clap one''s hands together

  • “The children were clapping to the music”
Synonyms
5.

strike the air in flight

  • “the wings of the birds clapped loudly”
6.

strike with the flat of the hand; usually in a friendly way, as in encouragement or greeting

7.

strike together so as to produce a sharp percussive noise

  • “clap two boards together”

noun

1.
2.

a common venereal disease caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae; symptoms are painful urination and pain around the urethra

Synonyms
3.

a sharp abrupt noise as if two objects hit together; may be repeated

Synonyms

Origin

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.

Phrases

  • and then everyone clapped
  • and then everyone on the bus clapped
  • clap back
  • clap cheeks
  • clap cold
  • clap eyes on
  • clap hold of
  • clap in
  • clap net
  • clap skate
  • fairy clap
  • golf clap

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Entails

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.