Meaning & use
claque
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Meanings
nouncountable
A group of people hired to clap and cheer at a performance, or any group that applauds uncritically.
Grammar: Countable: a claque, several claques. Usually singular in practice.
Patterns
- a claque of supporters
- hire a claque
The theater once paid a claque to applaud the lead singer.
Critics dismissed the audience as a claque that cheered everything.
He suspected the glowing reviews came from a claque of friends.
nouncountablefigurativedisapproving
A group of sycophantic followers who loudly support a person or idea.
Grammar: Often used figuratively and slightly disapprovingly in political or media writing.
Patterns
- a political claque
- surrounded by a claque
The minister traveled with a claque of aides who laughed at every joke.
Online, a claque of fans attacks anyone who questions the star.
Word forms
| plural | claques |
|---|
Common combinations
- a claque of admirers
- The author arrived with a claque of admirers.
- organized claque
- The opera house employed an organized claque in the 1800s.
- lead the claque
- A few rowdy students led the claque at the rally.
Synonyms and how they differ
- clappers
- More literal and rare; it refers to the people or devices that clap, not a paid group.
- entourage
- Neutral and broader: a group of attendants, not necessarily applauding.
- cheerleaders
- Informal and usually positive; a claque is seen as insincere.
Opposites
Word family
- claqueur noun
- A single member of a claque, especially a paid applauder.
Commonly confused: claque or clique? claque or clack?
claque vs clique
A clique is a small exclusive social group; a claque is a group that applauds or supports loudly, often for pay.
claque vs clack
Clack means a short sharp sound or to make one; it sounds similar but has no connection to applause.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'claque' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Claque' is a noun for a group that applauds or supports loudly, often for payment, so option A fits. The others use it as a verb, an adjective, or a quantity word, which the noun cannot do.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “claque”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.