variants
also clapt
as in slapped
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clapped
The dancers wove through the crowd as others clapped along in raucous celebration.
—
Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Quite a crowd had gathered by then, most of them the retired and the conventioneers who wander aimlessly up and down Kalakaua Avenue in the off seasons, and, when two police officers finally drove up, the crowd clapped.
—Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025
The three winning bidders hugged and clapped, but not everyone was happy with the decision.
—Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2025
During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans shouted from balconies, clapped from windows and banged pots in nightly appreciation for nurses, public‑health staff and other essential workers.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025
The View audience clapped over the moment, with the camera showing a teary-eyed Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sunny Hostin, and Haines back at the Hot Topics table.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Nov. 2025
People in the packed courtroom – including families of victims – cheered and clapped, and some in the crowds outside sank to their knees and offered up prayers after the verdict, the harshest against a leader in the country's history.
—Ruma Paul, USA Today, 17 Nov. 2025
The cast and crew all clapped for me.
—Janet Lee, CNBC, 14 Nov. 2025
When John Behlmann, who played Dean, would make his entrance during the Nashville production Dolly, the crowd often clapped.
—Jeff Nelson, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clapped
Verb
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Five players were booked during their defeat to Cameroon, including Foster, who slapped the linesman’s hand twice and screamed in his face in frustration over a decision.—
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Its tail slapped the surface of the water, marking la paiche’s territory.—
Verb
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The group has smacked around quarterbacks, tackled well and dominated most key areas but hasn’t taken the ball away like an elite defense.—
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We’re getting smacked around by teams by 30, 40 points.—
Verb
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White egrets stood in the shallows, a woodpecker knocked somewhere nearby, and pairs of green parrots flew upstream, beating their wings in time.—
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He was eventually knocked free of the vehicle, and suffered significant lacerations that required 33 stitches, the official said.—
Verb
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Wilson slammed Homeland Security officials for the shooting that came a day after a woman was fatally shot by immigration agents in Minneapolis.—
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Many Democrats have slammed the administration's conclusions, arguing that the video does not appear to show the woman trying to hit officers.—
Verb
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Dostal blocked Hughes’ slap shot from the point, but Kaprizov banged a shot past Dostal after a scramble in front of the net for his 24th goal.—
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Dostal blocked Hughes' slap shot from the point, but Kaprizov banged a shot past Dostal after a scramble in front of the net for his 24th goal.—
Verb
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With a merciless 56-22 thumping of Oregon in the Peach Bowl, the Hoosiers punched their ticket to their first national championship game appearance in program history.—
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Jenkins brutally stomped and punched Coto, who was severely injured and put on life support.—
Verb
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Iowa then got three good looks from the three-point line in the final seconds but couldn't hit the tying shot.—
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Despite their franchise history dating back to the mid-70s (via Kansas City and Colorado), which includes essentially all of the highest-scoring era in league history, the New Jersey Devils have never had a player hit either of the game’s most basic offensive milestones.—
Verb
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Rasmus Dahlin and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen weren’t on the same page playing a puck behind the net, and Mavrik Bourque whacked a rebound in with Dahlin as the closest Sabre in coverage.—
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The head-to-head results — SDSU smacked Fresno State, and FSU whacked Boise State — clearly indicate the Broncos are slotted in the right place.—
Cite this Entry
“Clapped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clapped. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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