Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use clap in a sentence

40 example sentences · noun, verb

Clap means the act of striking the palms of the hands, or any two surfaces, together. Example: “He summoned the waiter with a clap.”

Examples of clap by meaning

nounThe act of striking the palms of the hands, or any two surfaces, together.

  • He summoned the waiter with a clap.

nounThe explosive sound of thunder.

  • The deafening claps of thunder and the dazzling flashes of lightning which lit up the ghastly scene testified that the artillery of heaven had lent its supernatural pomp to the already gruesome spectacle.1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[[Episode 12: The Cyclops]]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC
  • With each clap of thunder echoing from one high building to another the noise was terrific.1953 July, Allen Rowley, “First Impressions of American Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 493

nounAny loud, sudden, explosive sound made by striking hard surfaces together, or resembling such a sound.

  • Off in the distance, he heard the clap of thunder.

nounA slap with the hand, usually in a jovial manner.

  • His father's affection never went further than a handshake or a clap on the shoulder.

verbTo strike the palms of the hands together, creating a sharp sound.

  • The children began to clap in time with the music.
  • To hear a flutter echo, all one needs is a pair of parallel surfaces (and they need not be very large), stand between them, and clap hands.2008, Floyd E. Toole, Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms, Elsevier

verbTo applaud.

  • The audience loudly clapped the actress, who responded with a deep curtsey.
  • It isn’t the singers they are clapping; it's the composer.

verbTo slap with the hand in a jovial manner.

  • He would often clap his teammates on the back for encouragement.

verbTo bring two surfaces together forcefully, creating a sharp sound.

  • He clapped the empty glass down on the table.
  • She clapped the book shut.
  • He clapped across the floor in his boots.

More sentences with clap

  • Parents should clap up their children's wedding ceremonies as quickly as possible.From the entry clap up
  • The audience clapped in rhythm as I sang.From the entry rhythm
  • The congregation clapped along on the offbeat.From the entry offbeat
  • After a clap of thunder, down came the rain.From the entry come down
  • “Growl you may, but go you must,” Lewrie laughed, clapping him on the shoulder in parting.2018, Dewey Lambdin, The Gun Ketch. From the entry Captain's Cloak
  • Her eyes would get big and she would clap her hands and we all danced.2017 November 10, Lafwa S. Espero, Faith, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 132. From the entry potty dance
  • What little food I received was a disgusting mess, and the tea was clap cold.2015, Robert Richardson, The Incoming Tide, page 136. From the entry clap cold
  • He clapped his huge hands together and let out a roar of laughter.2013, Simon Dawson, Pigs in Clover. From the entry in bits
  • He pulled a bell rope for the khitmagar (he hated the practice of clapping or shouting).2010, Allan Mallinson, A Call To Arms, →ISBN, page 309. From the entry khitmagar
  • Lightning exploded through the sky, followed quickly by a tremulant clap of thunder.2009, Faye Kellerman, The Quality of Mercy, →ISBN, page 436. From the entry tremulant
  • I have been wrong these fifteen years.' We clapped our hands red.2006, Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion, Bantam Press, page 284. From the entry clap one's hands red
  • “Dead center!” “What skill,” cried Cara, with a clap of her hands.2004, Andrea DaRif, A Kiss of Spice, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 21. From the entry twock
  • He clapped the big man on the shoulder and quickly left.2004, Keri Arthur, Generation 18, London: Piatkus, published 2009, →ISBN, page 161. From the entry shapechange
  • And I'll catch it again when the tutor claps eyes on the handwriting.2003, Sid Fleischman, The Whipping Boy, page 39. From the entry catch it
  • The point went home at once and the people voicedly clapped.1999, Pakistani scholars on Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, page 50. From the entry voicedly
  • Period." Puckering her lips, she made an ear-splitting whistle, clapped her hands and shouted, "Pluto!1991, Lydia Lee, Thank Your Lucky Stars, Silhouette, →ISBN. From the entry get off
  • The monkey held it out toward the audience, who laughed and clapped.1986, B[arbara] B[ryant] Hiller, Neil W. Hiller, “A Touch of Magic”, in On the Far Side of the Mirror, New York, N.Y.: Scholastic Inc.…. From the entry monkeyese
  • He'd clap the cows on their rumps and shout "Come along, there!1944, Douglas Stewart, A Girl with Red Hair, and Other Stories, page 60. From the entry hilarious
  • Assembled guests participate by clapping their hands to mark the rhythm.1929, Abraham Zevi Idelsohn, Jewish Music: Its Historical Development, page 370. From the entry darbuka
  • "By jiminy!" Wesley leaped high and clapped his heels together three times before he came to earth.1929, Sophie Kerr, Mareea-Maria, page 166. From the entry jiminy crickets
  • That quack doctor for the clap used to be stuck up in all the greenhouses.1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[Episode 8: Laestrygonians]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC, part II [Odyssey]…. From the entry greenhouse
  • There was a meaning pause, broken by old Stein again clapping his hands.1907, Barbara Baynton, edited by Sally Krimmer and Alan Lawson, Human Toll (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), St Lucia…. From the entry meaning
  • Daddy Stein, standing in the middle of the room, clapped his hands for attention.1907, Barbara Baynton, edited by Sally Krimmer and Alan Lawson, Human Toll (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), St Lucia…. From the entry sonorously
  • The crowd clapped and cheered.¶Five, the audience member claimed.2025 September 12, Eric Levenson, “Charlie Kirk’s final hours: How a stage for debate became a scene of tragedy”, in CNN, archived from…. From the entry count
  • One after another, they took the stage to clap back.2025 December 20, Richard Fausset, Ken Bensinger, “Turning Point’s Annual Gathering Turns Into a Gripefest”, in The New York Times, New…. From the entry clap back
  • I smell chimken!” Atif clapped his hands with glee.2021 May 17, Khamille Ann Linsag, “Dua”, in SunStar Davao. From the entry chimken
  • And then everyone on the bus clapped!2020 January 1, Tom-A062 (@Tom_A062), Twitter. From the entry and then everyone on the bus clapped

Meaning of clap

  1. noun The act of striking the palms of the hands, or any two surfaces, together.
  2. noun The explosive sound of thunder.
  3. noun Any loud, sudden, explosive sound made by striking hard surfaces together, or resembling such a sound.

Full definition of clap

Questions about clap in a sentence

How do you use clap in a sentence?
Clap is used as a noun and verb. For example: “He summoned the waiter with a clap.”
What is a short sentence with clap?
“She clapped the book shut.”
What does clap mean?
Clap means the act of striking the palms of the hands, or any two surfaces, together.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: clap (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use clap in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/clap. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.