applause

From Latin applausus, from applaudō (“I strike against, I applaud”) (whence applaud).

• (UK) enPR: əplôzʹ, IPA^(key): /əˈplɔːz/
• Rhymes: -ɔːz
• (US) enPR: əplôzʹ, IPA^(key): /əˈplɔz/
• (cot–caught merger) enPR: əpläz', IPA^(key): /əˈplɑz/

• Audio (General American):

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applause (usually uncountable, plural applauses)

1. The act of applauding; approbation and praise publicly expressed by the clapping of hands, stamping or tapping of the feet, acclamation, huzzas, or other means; marked commendation.

   Synonyms: acclaim, acclamation, approbation, approval, commendation, plaudit; see also Thesaurus:applause, Thesaurus:praise

   • 1880, Mark Twain (Samuel L Clemens), chapter XLVI, in A Tramp Abroad; , Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company; London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 535:

     A few days before, the adulations and applauses of a nation were sounding in her ears, and now she was come to this!

   • 1904 April 30, A Conan Doyle, “The Adventure of the Six Napoleons”, in The Return of Sherlock Holmes, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co., published February 1905, →OCLC, page 232:

     Lestrade and I sat silent for a moment, and then, with a spontaneous impulse, we both broke at clapping, as at the well-wrought crisis of a play. It was at such moments that for an instant he ceased to be a reasoning machine, and betrayed his human love for admiration and applause.

   • 1916, Albert Bigelow Paine, chapter 57, in The Boys’ Life of Mark Twain:

     Livy never gets her share of those applauses, but it is because the people do not know. Yet she is entitled to the lion's share.

   • 2024 September 7, David Hytner, “Rice and Grealish start new England era with Nations League victory in Ireland”, in The Guardian‎:

     Rice’s celebrations upon his goal were controlled, muted. Not so those of Grealish, who lapped up the applause of the England fans behind the goal.

applause (third-person singular simple present applauses, present participle applausing, simple past and past participle applaused)

1. (obsolete) To applaud.
   • 1596, William Warner, chapter IL, in Albions England: A Continued Historie of the Same Kingdome, from the Originals of the First Inhabitants Thereof: , 4th edition, London: Orwin, for I B , →OCLC, page 228:

     But (which had ſcarrefide our wounds, if wounded, with the Balme / Of her ſweete Preſence, ſo applaus’d as in Sea-ſtormes a Calme) / Her royall-ſelfe, Elizabeth our Soueraigne lawfull Queene, / In magnanimious Maieſtie amidſt her Troupes was ſeene.

   • 1628, Ios Hall, “Ahab and Michaiah: or, The Death of Ahab”, in Contemplations. The Nineteenth Booke., London, →OCLC, page 1286:

     Now Ahab ſees the ground of that applauſed conſent of his rabble of Prophets:

   • 1654, “Act. II.”, in The Tragedy of Alphonsus Emperour of Germany , London: Humphrey Moseley, , →OCLC, page 20:

     O ſacred Emperour, theſe ears have heard, / What no Sons ears can unrevenged hear, / The Princes all of them, but ſpecially, / The Prince Elector Archbiſhop of Collen, / Revil’d him by the names of murderer, / Arch villain, robber of the Empires fame, / And Cæſars tutor in all wickedneſs, / And with a general voice applaus’d his death, / As for a ſpecial good to Chriſtendome.

     Attributed to George Chapman, but generally considered a false attribution.

• applause on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key):
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key):

applause

1. vocative masculine singular of applausus