plaudit

noun

plau·​dit ˈplȯ-dət How to pronounce plaudit (audio)
1
: an act or round of applause
2
: enthusiastic approval
usually used in plural
received the plaudits of the critics

Did you know?

You earn plaudits for your etymological knowledge if you can connect plaudit to words besides the familiar applaud and applause. A word coined by shortening Latin plaudite, meaning "applaud," plaudit had gained approval status in English by the first years of the 17th century. Latin plaudite is a form of the verb plaudere, meaning "to applaud"; plaudere, in turn, is ancestor to explode, plausible, and the archaic displode (a synonym of explode).

Examples of plaudit in a Sentence

the proud parents bragged that their daughter had received many plaudits for her academic achievements
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The dramatization of one of the darkest chapters in American crime history has drawn plaudits for sidestepping easy sensationalism about the Chicago contractor and amateur clown who murdered 33 boys in the 1970s, burying them in a crawl space beneath his house. Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025 Hall booked a lead role in Showtime’s dark comedy Black Monday (2019–2021) opposite Don Cheadle, and earned more plaudits for Honk for Jesus. Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025 Legacy swept best telenovela and multiple other plaudits at South Africa’s 2021 SAFTA awards. John Hopewell, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025 City deserve as many plaudits for the victory as Arsenal deserve criticism for the defeat. Megan Feringa, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for plaudit

Word History

Etymology

Latin plaudite applaud, plural imperative of plaudere to applaud

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of plaudit was in 1600

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Cite this Entry

“Plaudit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plaudit. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

plaudit

noun
plau·​dit ˈplȯd-ət How to pronounce plaudit (audio)
1
2
: enthusiastic approval
usually used in plural
received the plaudits of the critics
Etymology

from Latin plaudite, a form of plaudere "to clap" — related to applaud, explode, plausible see Word History at explode, plausible

More from Merriam-Webster on plaudit

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