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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of clap
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
Jaquez led a spirited eight-clap, the band blared the school fight song, and mascots Joe Bruin and Josie Bruin danced.
—Beth Harris, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
As the crowd cheered and Borgeson clapped her hands in excitement, Beizer presented a ring and asked Borgeson to marry her.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clap
Noun
The fans gave him a sarcastic slow-clap, prompting him to wave his arms in encouragement.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
Jaquez led a spirited eight-clap, the band blared the school fight song, and mascots Joe Bruin and Josie Bruin danced.
—Beth Harris, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
My father clapped his shoulder.
—Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
As the crowd cheered and Borgeson clapped her hands in excitement, Beizer presented a ring and asked Borgeson to marry her.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clap
Noun
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That all translates to more bang for your buck while also dealing with a very serious industrial and agricultural pollutant.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
-
The original game was already over 100 hours long, but the new content adds even more playtime, giving you plenty of bang for your buck.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
8 May 2026
Noun
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The Yankees need Wells to provide at least some thump in a bottom third of the order that hasn’t been very good.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Moments later, a bass thump sounded in the distance.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The same day that the nanny allegedly beat Walter, other caregivers slapped and flogged his siblings, including with shoes and wooden sticks.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
Noun
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The company has been scrambling to keep up with tech rivals amid the AI boom but still hasn't delivered on the Siri revamp two years later.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
-
Time Warner had agreed to be purchased by Internet provider AOL in 2000 with the hopes that the merger would help the legacy media company survive and prosper during the dot-com boom.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
6 May 2026
Noun
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Amid aspersions and attack ads, the pair nearly came to blows at a community debate.—
Dakota Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
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From there, both fighters were trading blows, but the fifth round was when Strickland had an interesting moment with Chimaev.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Adams, who lived in Diggs' home while working for him, walked into the Dedham police station on December 16 alleging that two weeks earlier, Diggs had smacked her across the face and choked her.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
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Ruiz, making his fourth start, has hit two home runs in 14 Marlins plate appearances after smacking seven in his first 621 in the big leagues.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
Jac Caglianone tied the game with a two-run homer in the ninth and Lane Thomas’ three-run blast in the 10th won it for the Royals.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
28 Apr. 2026
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Judge followed up behind him with a solo blast of his own.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The teen's uncle heard a loud thud and rushed to the shed to check on the two brothers.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
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But a patient pugilist values the muffled thud of shots to the resolve.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
5 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clap. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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