applaud

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /əˈplɔːd/
• (US) IPA^(key): /əˈplɔd/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /əˈplɑd/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔːd
• Rhymes: -ɒd

Noun

applaud (plural applauds)

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

Related terms

• applause

Verb

applaud (third-person singular simple present applauds, present participle applauding, simple past and past participle applauded)

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

   Synonyms: beclap, clap

   After the performance, the audience applauded for five minutes.

2. (transitive, intransitive) To praise, or express approval for something or someone.

   Synonyms: acclaim, beclap, cheer on; see also Thesaurus:cheer, Thesaurus:glorify

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

   • c. 1607–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, [George Wilkins?], The Late, and Much Admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: […] [William White and Thomas Creede] for Henry Gosson, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act II, scene v]:

     Now by the Gods, I do applaude his courage.

   • 2011 December 10, David Ornstein, “Arsenal 1 - 0 Everton”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     It moved him to within one goal of Thierry Henry's 34 in 2004 and Henry - honoured with a statue outside the stadium on Friday - rose from his seat in the stands to applaud Van Persie.

Derived terms

• applaudable
• applauder
• applaudingly
• applaud to the echo
• reapplaud
• unapplauded
• unapplauding

Related terms

• explosion
• implausible
• implode
• plaudit
• plausible

Translations

to express approval by clapping

• Albanian: duartrokas (sq)
• Arabic: صَفَّقَ (ṣaffaqa)
• Armenian: ծափահարել (hy) (capʻaharel)
• Asturian: aplaudir
• Azerbaijani: alqışlamaq (az), əl çalmaq
• Belarusian: апладзі́раваць impf (apladzíravacʹ), пляска́ць impf (pljaskácʹ) (у дало́ні)
• Bulgarian: аплоди́рам (bg) impf or pf (aplodíram), ръкопляска́м (bg) impf (rǎkopljaskám)
• Catalan: aplaudir (ca)
• Cherokee: ᏓᏏᏛᏂᎭ (dasidvniha)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 拍手 (zh) (pāishǒu), 鼓掌 (zh) (gǔzhǎng)

• Czech: tleskat (cs) impf
• Danish: applaudere, klappe (da)
• Dutch: applaudisseren (nl), klappen (nl)
• Esperanto: aplaŭdi
• Estonian: aplodeerima (et)
• Finnish: taputtaa (fi), aplodeerata
• French: applaudir (fr), ovationner (fr)
• Galician: aplaudir
• German: applaudieren (de), klatschen (de), Beifall klatschen
• Greek: χειροκροτώ (el) (cheirokrotó)

  Ancient: κροτέω (krotéō)

• Hebrew: הֵרִיעַ (he) (hería')
• Hindi: ताली बजाना (tālī bajānā)
• Hungarian: tapsol (hu), megtapsol (hu)
• Ido: aklamar (io)
• Italian: applaudire (it), congratularsi (it)
• Japanese: 拍手する (ja) (はくしゅする, hakushu suru)
• Korean: 박수하다 (ko) (baksuhada)
• Latin: plaudō (la), applaudō
• Latvian: aplaudēt
• Lithuanian: ploti (lt), paploti
• Macedonian: аплауди́ра impf or pf (aplaudíra), ракоплеска impf (rakopleska)
• Malayalam: കയ്യടി (ml) (kayyaṭi), കരഘോഷം (karaghōṣaṁ)
• Maori: pakipaki, umere
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: алга таших (alga tašix)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: klappe

• Persian: کف زدن (fa) (kaf zadan)
• Polish: klaskać (pl) impf, oklaskiwać (pl), bić brawo (pl) impf
• Portuguese: aplaudir (pt)
• Romanian: aplauda (ro)
• Russian: аплоди́ровать (ru) impf (aplodírovatʹ), хло́пать (ru) impf (xlópatʹ) (в ладо́ши), рукоплеска́ть (ru) impf (rukopleskátʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: аплауди́рати impf or pf

  Roman: aplaudírati (sh) impf or pf

• Slovak: tlieskať impf
• Slovene: aplavdirati impf, ploskati (sl) impf
• Spanish: aplaudir (es)
• Swedish: applådera (sv), klappa (sv)
• Tajik: кафкӯбӣ кардан (kafkübi kardan)
• Thai: ปรบ (th) (bpròp), ตบมือ (dtòp-mʉʉ)
• Turkish: alkışlamak (tr), el çırpmak (tr)
• Ukrainian: аплодува́ти (uk) impf (aploduváty), плеска́ти impf (pleskáty) (в доло́ні), рукоплеска́ти impf (rukopleskáty)
• Uzbek: olqishlab chapak
• Vietnamese: vỗ tay (vi)

to praise, or express approval by words

• Bulgarian: хва́ля (bg) impf (hválja), одобря́вам (bg) impf (odobrjávam)
• Dutch: applaudisseren (nl)
• French: louer (fr), approuver (fr)
• German: loben (de), befürworten (de)
• Greek: επικροτώ (el) (epikrotó)
• Hindi: प्रशंसा करना (praśansā karnā), सराहना (hi) (sarāhnā)
• Hungarian: helyesel (hu), dicsér (hu)
• Italian: lodare (it), approvare (it)
• Latvian: atzīt, apsveikt
• Ngazidja Comorian: ushangiria
• Portuguese: aplaudir (pt)
• Russian: хвали́ть (ru) impf (xvalítʹ), одобря́ть (ru) impf (odobrjátʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: аплауди́рати impf or pf

  Roman: aplaudírati (sh) impf or pf

• Spanish: aplaudir (es)
• Turkish: beğenmek (tr), takdir etmek (tr), alkışlamak (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} applaudir
• Slovak: ^{(please verify)} tlieskať, ^{(please verify)} aplaudovať
• Volapük: ^{(please verify)} lobülön (vo)

Further reading

• “applaud”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “applaud”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “applaud”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.