# clap

/ˈkɫæp/ (US) · /klˈæp/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/clap
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to applaud

verb · CEFR A2

to hit your open hands together several times to show you liked a performance or agree with someone.

For teachers: to strike the palms of the hands together repeatedly as a gesture of applause or approval.

- The audience started to clap as soon as the singer finished the last note.
- The crowd began to clap rhythmically, demanding an encore after the orchestra delivered a flawless rendition of the symphony.

### 2. to hit surfaces together

verb · CEFR B1

to bring two things together quickly and loudly, like hands or books.

For teachers: to bring two surfaces together forcefully to produce a sharp, percussive sound.

- He clapped his hands to get the children's attention in the noisy playground.
- She clapped the heavy ledger shut, sending a small cloud of dust into the air of the dimly lit archive.

### 3. sound of thunder

noun · CEFR B2

a single, sudden, and very loud noise of thunder.

For teachers: a sudden, explosive auditory discharge of thunder.

- A sudden clap of thunder made everyone jump during the picnic.
- The silence of the valley was shattered by a deafening clap of thunder that echoed off the surrounding granite cliffs.

### 4. gonorrhea

noun · CEFR C1 · Slang · Informal

a common illness passed through sex.

For teachers: a colloquial and historically derogatory term for the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea.

- He had to go to the clinic because he thought he caught the clap.
- Public health posters from the mid-twentieth century often used blunt language regarding the clap to warn soldiers about the risks of untreated infections.

Usage: Always used with the definite article 'the'.

Teaching tip: This is a very informal and potentially insensitive term; students should use the medical name in professional or serious contexts.

### 5. to put or set quickly

verb · CEFR C1 · Literary · Formal

to put someone or something somewhere very quickly or suddenly.

For teachers: to place, set, or imprison someone or something with suddenness or force.

- The guards were ordered to clap the prisoner in irons.
- The authorities decided to clap the protesters into custody before the demonstration could escalate into a full-scale riot.

Usage: Often used with 'in' or 'into', especially regarding prison or chains.

## Examples

- The town suffered a bad clap of flu.
- Health officials worked quickly to stop the clap of measles from spreading to other schools.
- The historical record shows that the clap of cholera in 1854 devastated the local population before the source of the contaminated water was identified.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.