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
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 13 June 2026
Other players, especially the younger players and newcomers, did head over toward La Familia and give them waves and claps.
—Miami Herald, 19 May 2026
There was no standing ovation, only a few sporadic claps mixed in with folks cheering for Fitzpatrick.
—Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 11 May 2026
That’ll be the stormiest period of the weekend, with gusts up to 40 mph and potentially more claps of thunder.
—Anthony Edwards, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Apr. 2026
Tears flowed, and the audience held space for grief, offering supportive claps and chants.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 18 Mar. 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
Jack Dunn, Variety, 9 June 2026
Anderson stops at second base, claps his hands four times, then stands there quietly.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 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
Audience member Najla Abdel Rahman Abbas claps along to the music, her face showing both sorrow and exuberance.
—Intessar Fadl Allah, Christian Science Monitor, 18 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
Noun
There were the polite claps after good attacks by the Swiss, sarcastic whistles by the Qatari fans after their team again failed to mount a threat.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 13 June 2026
Other players, especially the younger players and newcomers, did head over toward La Familia and give them waves and claps.
—Miami Herald, 19 May 2026
There was no standing ovation, only a few sporadic claps mixed in with folks cheering for Fitzpatrick.
—Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 11 May 2026
That’ll be the stormiest period of the weekend, with gusts up to 40 mph and potentially more claps of thunder.
—Anthony Edwards, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Apr. 2026
Tears flowed, and the audience held space for grief, offering supportive claps and chants.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 18 Mar. 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
Verb
Feint claps for the President could be heard on the ABC broadcast, but they were overwhelmed by the Bronx cheer.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 9 June 2026
Anderson stops at second base, claps his hands four times, then stands there quietly.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 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
Audience member Najla Abdel Rahman Abbas claps along to the music, her face showing both sorrow and exuberance.
—Intessar Fadl Allah, Christian Science Monitor, 18 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for claps
Noun
-
But a thick head of hair can rock blunt bangs like nobody's business.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
16 June 2026
-
The Grammy winner debuted a fresh set of blunt bangs for the occasion.—
Hannah Malach,
InStyle,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Agents yelled from every direction, and the thumps of a news helicopter overhead were deafening.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
-
You’ll be thrown around in your seat, which moves in sync with the action, along with thumps in the back, splashes of water, blasts of air, smoke, and flashes of light.—
Benny Har-Even,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
Wilhelm enters the room, removes most of his clothing and gets into bed with her, slaps her, pushes her away and then caresses her face and cradles her.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
That direct relationship is what separates a true farm to table operation from a restaurant that simply slaps the phrase on a marketing page.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Sacbee.com,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Alligator Biologist Alicia Wassmer said that as North Carolina’s human population booms, biologists are seeing more human-alligator interactions in the state.—
Eva Flowe
June 12,
Charlotte Observer,
12 June 2026
-
California’s budget can rise and fall sharply based on gains in the stock market, which puts the state in good financial position during booms and vulnerable during busts.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Rapp, up on Taft Point, heard two thuds.—
Nick Paumgarten,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Likewise, the score by Tony Doogan leans too heavily on generic electronic thuds, the kind that segue into a commercial break cliffhanger and an ad for blood pressure medicine.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Enough sunshine on Sunday should push temperatures back into the low 90s before a cooler breeze knocks us back to normal on Monday.—
Bill Kelly,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
-
And that's when a shot blasts through the door and knocks Lena to the ground.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 May 2026
Noun
-
The Bobbing Barrels water ride will let riders spin their barrels using water cannon blasts while onlookers also fire away from the sidelines with their own water cannons.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
16 June 2026
-
While playing Pragmata, the thump of approaching robots had solid directionality, and the weapon blasts had a good amount of low-end force.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Most baseball fights produce a little shoving, occasional hugging, some dancing and pulled powderpuff punches.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
-
Three days before the first punches are set to be thrown at a White House-UFC event, the South Lawn is unrecognizable.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Claps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/claps. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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