1
as in bang
a loud explosive sound
a clap of thunder that woke the whole house up
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2
as in thump
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
a sharp clap to the head of the disrespectful youth
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as in to slap
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
clapped him on the back as a friendly gesture
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Examples of clap in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jay Paris, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024
The femininity of the space feels almost sacred—huge smiles leap from women’s faces, encouraging claps spring from their hands.
—Raleigh McCool, Longreads, 5 Sep. 2024
Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 26 Sep. 2024
The two can also be seen laughing and clapping following the kiss.
—Emma Aerin Becker, Peoplemag, 18 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for clap 
Noun
But like giant thunder claps, the Rams clap backed.
—Jay Paris, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024
The femininity of the space feels almost sacred—huge smiles leap from women’s faces, encouraging claps spring from their hands.
—Raleigh McCool, Longreads, 5 Sep. 2024
Verb
The right-hander clapped with his glove to acknowledge the warm reception.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 26 Sep. 2024
The two can also be seen laughing and clapping following the kiss.
—Emma Aerin Becker, Peoplemag, 18 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for clap
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clap.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Clap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clap. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
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