1
as in bangs
a loud explosive sound
a clap of thunder that woke the whole house up
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in thumps
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 slaps
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
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Recent Examples of claps
Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 18 Mar. 2026
That front will bring a chance of drizzle to the coast, a few claps of thunder to the Sacramento Valley and snow flurries to the Tahoe area.
—Anthony Edwards, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 Mar. 2026
The latest in what appears to be an unending stream of storms thundered through the Bay Area on Tuesday, producing violent claps of thunder and lightning bright enough to light up momentarily the gray and sometimes dark sky.
—Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026
These were claps of relief and encouragement from a European audience bracing for a mauling like JD Vance’s onslaught last year.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
Lots of claps all around, as production in the area is still down significantly over five-year averages.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 3 Feb. 2026
Oscar-winning composer Daniel Blumberg was tasked with layering in claps, stomps and screams.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 24 Jan. 2026
Listeners replied with claps and exclamations of eager agreement.
—Madeline King, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
Some quarterbacks will inform their center that the plan is to snap the ball on two claps or sometimes even three.
—Christopher Kamrani, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
Travis Loller, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
His climber fails to get Camper Kyle to the ground in time, but Bauer claps enthusiastically.
—Calin Van Paris, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026
Poor Indigenous, Black, the people from the favelas, when the police go there and kill 120 people there, and the population basically claps and thinks that that’s great.
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 2 Dec. 2025
Legacy is made from the small, repeatable disciplines no one claps for, but everyone benefits from.
—Cody Bjugan, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
And a couple claps their way through Swift's discography.
—Bryan West, The Tennessean, 8 Aug. 2025
Koko yelps and claps in surprise.
—David Cavell, Time, 6 Aug. 2025
Green claps along, and is visibly impressed when Freeman hits that signature high note.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 3 Jan. 2025
Detroit Pistons team owner Tom Gores claps during the press conference on July 30, 2021 at the Pistons Performance Center in Detroit, Michigan.
—Michael Ozanian, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2024
Noun
Tears flowed, and the audience held space for grief, offering supportive claps and chants.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 18 Mar. 2026
That front will bring a chance of drizzle to the coast, a few claps of thunder to the Sacramento Valley and snow flurries to the Tahoe area.
—Anthony Edwards, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 Mar. 2026
The latest in what appears to be an unending stream of storms thundered through the Bay Area on Tuesday, producing violent claps of thunder and lightning bright enough to light up momentarily the gray and sometimes dark sky.
—Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026
These were claps of relief and encouragement from a European audience bracing for a mauling like JD Vance’s onslaught last year.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
Lots of claps all around, as production in the area is still down significantly over five-year averages.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 3 Feb. 2026
Oscar-winning composer Daniel Blumberg was tasked with layering in claps, stomps and screams.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 24 Jan. 2026
Listeners replied with claps and exclamations of eager agreement.
—Madeline King, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
Some quarterbacks will inform their center that the plan is to snap the ball on two claps or sometimes even three.
—Christopher Kamrani, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
Verb
Each shows a helicopter hovering alongside his swimming pool while the entertainer claps, salutes and raises his fist in the air.
—Travis Loller, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
His climber fails to get Camper Kyle to the ground in time, but Bauer claps enthusiastically.
—Calin Van Paris, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026
Poor Indigenous, Black, the people from the favelas, when the police go there and kill 120 people there, and the population basically claps and thinks that that’s great.
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 2 Dec. 2025
Legacy is made from the small, repeatable disciplines no one claps for, but everyone benefits from.
—Cody Bjugan, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
And a couple claps their way through Swift's discography.
—Bryan West, The Tennessean, 8 Aug. 2025
Koko yelps and claps in surprise.
—David Cavell, Time, 6 Aug. 2025
Green claps along, and is visibly impressed when Freeman hits that signature high note.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 3 Jan. 2025
Detroit Pistons team owner Tom Gores claps during the press conference on July 30, 2021 at the Pistons Performance Center in Detroit, Michigan.
—Michael Ozanian, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for claps
Noun
-
Witnesses reported seeing snipers positioned on rooftops in the area and hearing multiple flash bangs, along with commands from deputies ordering the suspect to come out.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The pop star looked unrecognizable with black hair and blunt bangs.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In Guyana’s capital city of Georgetown, neighbors can still hear the thumps.—
Tyler Jett,
Des Moines Register,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
At the end of the night, during the bows, Butler slaps the guys playing her two antagonists gently on their butts, a gesture that would have jarred in most stagings but fully in keeping with the inclusive, humanistic vibe of this production.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The music also slaps, synthesizing industrial, electro-pop and iPod party music into a work that feels honest and the right kind of raunchy.—
Katie Bain,
Billboard,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Previous booms have not ended in prosperity While some point to Dubai as a model for Oiapoque’s future, nearby cities that once benefited from oil offer a warning for Oiapoque.—
Gabriela Sá Pessoa,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
After the Great Depression, John Maynard Keynes, an economist whose personal life was full of love affairs with leading literary figures, suggested that governments could prevent, or at least moderate, these booms and busts.—
Alex Mayyasi,
NPR,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The room fills with the sound of meditative thuds against caribou skin drums and the haunting, throaty vocals of several Tasiilaq men and women.—
Megan Spurrell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Muffled thuds are heard, and the crying stops.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Victor Caratini, whose two-run single in the first inning gave the Twins some breathing room, hit a sacrifice fly earlier in the game and both Matt Wallner and Royce Lewis had RBI knocks for the Twins in the win.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
7 Apr. 2026
-
A lot of the low end on the production really knocks, too.—
Olivier Lafontant,
Pitchfork,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The blasts ocurred in international waters and left the pipelines inoperable.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Then the fact that the more distant radio wave pulses aligned with gamma-ray blasts from these pulsars detected by NASA's Fermi Space Telescope indicated to the team that both types of electromagnetic radiation were being emitted from the same non-polar and distant regions around these pulsars.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The operator takes another swing, but the man ducks, punches the operator, then knocks him down, raining punches on his head before a bystander separates the two.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The boxers, aged 40 and 42 respectively, threw hopeful knockout punches and barely jabbed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Claps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/claps. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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