1
as in bang
a loud explosive sound
a clap of thunder that woke the whole house up
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clap
Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 16 Apr. 2025
Like a clap of thunder, a rifle shot echoed among the near-by spirelike peaks.
—Percy Brown, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2025
Matt Cabral, EW.com, 1 June 2025
Officer Chowdhury Nafees was in a wheelchair when he was greeted by more than 200 NYPD officers, who clapped and cheered as he was wheeled out of Jacobi Medical Center.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for clap
Noun
The question was met with enthusiastic claps from many in the crowd of about 100.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 16 Apr. 2025
Like a clap of thunder, a rifle shot echoed among the near-by spirelike peaks.
—Percy Brown, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2025
Verb
The other prisoners enthusiastically clap and cheer for him.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 1 June 2025
Officer Chowdhury Nafees was in a wheelchair when he was greeted by more than 200 NYPD officers, who clapped and cheered as he was wheeled out of Jacobi Medical Center.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for clap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clap
Noun
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Compare that with the National League West’s spending of $1.25 billion and the AL East putting up $1.1 billion for players this season, and the AL Central is getting a lot of bang for its buck.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
12 June 2025
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To get the most bang for your buck and to get the best selection of homes, Vrbo recommends booking your vacation home at least two months before travel dates.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
11 June 2025
Noun
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As its infectious message, hip hop hook, gentle-against-forceful thump, radiates further into the zeitgeist expect it be heard everywhere.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
15 June 2025
-
The only noise was the low thump from a boombox in front of a boba shop.—
Kaitlyn Huamani,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2025
Verb
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These nimble vehicles are built to precise specs, and capturing racing footage from the driver's point of view isn't as simple as slapping a GoPro on and calling it a day.—
Julian Chokkattu,
Wired News,
16 June 2025
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The experience was shared on Reddit, where the passenger detailed how the person seated behind him, in first class nonetheless, repeatedly tapped and slapped the person's head and hat to awaken him to help retrieve a lost earbud.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
12 June 2025
Noun
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The artificial intelligence boom is driving accelerated demand for cloud computing services, with enterprises turning to AWS to leverage AI capabilities quickly.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
-
The company has seen soaring demand in the high bandwidth memory, or HBM, market due to the artificial intelligence boom.—
Ari Levy,
CNBC,
25 June 2025
Noun
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The Senate parliamentarian's guidance has delivered several blows to key GOP provisions, including an effort to exclude undocumented immigrants from receiving Medicaid benefits and a plan to lower provider taxes, which states use to help fund their portion of Medicaid costs.—
June 27,
CBS News,
27 June 2025
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The Senate parliamentarian has advised that a Medicaid provider tax overhaul central to President Donald Trump’s tax cut and spending bill does not adhere to the chamber’s procedural rules, delivering a crucial blow as Republicans rush to finish the package this week.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
The Giants haven’t had a 30-homer hitter in a single season since Bonds smacked 45 in 2004.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
16 June 2025
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In testing with a dozen real-world examples of ransomware, Bitdefender smacked down all but one.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
9 June 2025
Noun
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Those same variations can disperse any blast from the bomb.—
Geoff Brumfiel,
NPR,
25 June 2025
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Ryan Jeffers hit a home run in the fourth inning and in the eighth, Ty France brought the Twins within one with a two-run blast.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
22 June 2025
Noun
-
Then, the film falls with a thud, never to rise again.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
13 June 2025
-
One struck a police cruiser with a thud, prompting a big cheer.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clap. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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