Meaning & use
applause
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
The sound of many people clapping their hands together to show approval or enjoyment.
Grammar: Uncountable, so say 'a round of applause' or 'a burst of applause', not 'an applause'.
Patterns
- a round of applause
- applause for someone
- burst into applause
The audience gave the singer a round of applause.
There was loud applause after the speech.
She received applause for her performance.
noununcountablefigurative
Praise or approval expressed by a group of people.
Grammar: Used figuratively to mean general approval, not just clapping.
Patterns
- win applause
- draw applause
His proposal won applause from both sides.
The new policy drew applause from environmental groups.
Common combinations
- round of applause
- Let's give her a round of applause.
- thunderous applause
- The performance ended with thunderous applause.
- applause dies down
- The applause died down as the next act began.
- burst of applause
- A burst of applause greeted the announcement.
- polite applause
- The speech received polite applause.
Synonyms and how they differ
- clapping
- More informal and focuses on the action; 'applause' can also mean general approval.
- cheers
- Refers to shouts of approval, not just clapping; 'applause' is specifically hand-clapping.
- ovation
- A very enthusiastic round of applause, often standing; 'applause' is more general.
Opposites
Word family
- applaud verb
- To clap your hands to show approval.
- applausive adjective
- Showing approval; rare.
Commonly confused: applause or applaud?
applause vs applaud
'Applaud' is the verb meaning to clap; 'applause' is the noun for the sound or act.
Practice
Which sentence is correct?
Choose one answer.
'Applause' is uncountable, so 'a round of applause' is the natural way to count it. Option 0 is wrong because 'an applause' is not used; option 2 is possible but less specific; option 3 uses 'the' unnecessarily.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “applause”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.