1
as in bangs
a loud explosive sound
a clap of thunder that woke the whole house up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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.
Recent Examples of claps
Lorena O’Neil,
Rolling Stone,
20 June 2026
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
Ct Jones,
Rolling Stone,
23 June 2026
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
Noun
One of the moments in the musical that caused the most laughter and claps from the audience was the final song, which mocks the idea of using violence as a form of protest rather than joining a movement or focusing on policy.
—
Lorena O’Neil,
Rolling Stone,
20 June 2026
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
Verb
The crowd claps and cheers, screaming wildly when Buteau drops it rather politely before strutting with Peppermint to their seats on stage.
—
Ct Jones,
Rolling Stone,
23 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for claps
Noun
-
Edgar-Jones, who has long been known for her enviable hair—her piecey bangs and teddy bear bronde color have shown up on mood boards everywhere—previously told Vogue that her ultimate inspiration is none other than the patron saint of French Girl Beauty, Jane Birkin.
-
Instead, the Q*bert soundtrack bangs.
Noun
-
Agents yelled from every direction, and the thumps of a news helicopter overhead were deafening.
-
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.
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.
-
That direct relationship is what separates a true farm to table operation from a restaurant that simply slaps the phrase on a marketing page.
Noun
-
Not everyone wants to spend the Fourth dodging booms.
-
Visit Big Bear said the decision to move forward with the event was not made lightly and that organizers were working with the fireworks provider to reduce the loudest booms where possible.
Noun
-
Rapp, up on Taft Point, heard two thuds.
-
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.
Verb
-
From conveyor belts and baggage carts to overhead bins and taxi trunks, luggage is constantly subjected to bumps, knocks and rough handling.
-
This knocks Europe out in a single shot.
Noun
-
The blasts of noise and oregano at Kafeneion, a restaurant above a wine bar in a building across from the city’s Victorian-era Parliament House, ricocheted my brain to my one trip to Athens a dozen years earlier.
-
Kurtz and both of Caglianone’s blasts would have gotten out of any ballpark in America.
Noun
-
The Los Angeles singer-songwriter’s latest is a crisp and candid twee pop record with unexpected studio touches and gut punches.
-
No such punches could be seen on the video.
Cite this Entry
“Claps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/claps. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
