How to Use clap in a Sentence

clap

1 of 2 verb
  • The audience clapped to the beat of the music.
  • She clapped a muzzle on the dog.
  • He clapped his hat on his head and went out the door.
  • He clapped his friend on the shoulder.
  • She clapped in delight when she heard the news.
  • The prisoners were clapped in irons.
  • He clapped his hand over his mouth when he realized what he had said.
  • The conductor clapped her hands twice, and the musicians stopped talking and prepared to play.
  • Dart stood up and clapped once.
    — Christopher Kamrani, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Those guys all stood up and clapped.
    — Bruce Feldman, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
  • The rest of us ooh-ed and clapped.
    — Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
  • The cast and crew all clapped for me.
    — Janet Lee, CNBC, 14 Nov. 2025
  • Trump clapped, waved and raised his fist.
    — Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 21 Sep. 2025
  • The crowd clapped and danced to the rhythm.
    — Mariana Navarrete Villegas, Hartford Courant, 30 Jan. 2026
  • Koko yelps and claps in surprise.
    — David Cavell, Time, 6 Aug. 2025
  • Jump up and clap your hands overhead.
    — Jenessa Connor, Health, 5 June 2026
  • The entire flight clapped and cheered.
    — Emma Graham, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Swift watched, clapped and laughed at his antics.
    — Pj Green may 23, Kansas City Star, 23 May 2026
  • Spielberg didn’t stand, or didn’t clap.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2026
  • Some looked stunned, others threw up their hands or clapped.
    — Camila Gomez, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 2026
  • Three men clapped and urged others to join, but no one else did.
    — Ellen Francis, Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2023
  • His folks clapped when he was done for the day, and unwrapped his hands.
    — Tyler R. Tynes, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2023
  • With their bare hands, the two started to clap and sing and make up songs.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2025
  • His fellow students clap for a job well done.
    — Katie Woo, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
  • Boys on the sidelines began to clap and whoop.
    — Eliza Griswold, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
  • Then all of his teammates began to clap.
    — Brody Miller, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Jump up to standing and clap your hands overhead.
    — Jenessa Connor, Health, 30 Dec. 2025
  • Hold the cup in front of her and quickly clap the cup behind.
    — Steve Bender, Southern Living, 29 May 2026
  • Hold the cup in front of her and quickly clap the cup behind.
    — Steve Bender, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2023
  • First, Sneed shared a post with clapping hands and prayer hands.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 1 May 2026

clap

2 of 2 noun
  • Around the world with both hands and clap.
    — Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 27 Feb. 2026
  • What does the finger clap mean?
    — Quispe López, Them., 17 Nov. 2025
  • Derek's one word — or gesture — was a big clap.
    — Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Let’s do a slow clap for the first five-star episode of the season!
    — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 8 June 2026
  • Is everyone ready to get your clap on?
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2025
  • Break that huddle with an old-school, in-unison clap.
    — Barry Svrluga, New York Times, 19 June 2026
  • Think of it as going from a clap of thunder to the slam of a car door.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 16 June 2026
  • The hand claps sound upbeat, the grooves slightly funky and the moves smooth.
    — Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2023
  • So yes, don’t give R&B a polite clap.
    — Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Someone in a white coat gives her the shot in her left arm and Tiffany claps.
    — Brandy Zadrozny, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2023
  • Heck, the crowd even came up with a new clap thing to do while players were at the free-throw line!
    — Andy Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 Dec. 2021
  • The two snaps and a clap is going to get over in live arena settings.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2021
  • His enormous return in less than a year deserves more than a golf clap.
    — Michael Cannivet, Forbes, 31 May 2021
  • Long enough for the sounds of insects and rattling grass to be joined by a clap of thunder.
    — Kat Rosenfield, EW.com, 26 Apr. 2022
  • Give them that classic taste of Hollywood with this film clap board.
    — Milan Polk, Men's Health, 30 Sep. 2022
  • Hijras use a distinctive hand clap using the flats of their hands.
    — Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
  • After the group clap, the session begins.
    — PC Magazine, 17 Sep. 2025
  • At one point, Woods tightly shuts his eyes while having to stack his fists, clap, and count.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Stewart said to massive claps from the audience.
    — Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Slowik introduces each with a loud clap of his hands, bringing the kitchen to attention.
    — Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 14 Nov. 2022
  • Those who gathered at West 13th clap and chant Sibley’s name.
    — Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2023
  • When Styles comes to sit down beside him, Pine stops mid-clap, staring down at his lap with a smirk.
    — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2022
  • Some quarterbacks will inform their center that the plan is to snap the ball on two claps or sometimes even three.
    — Christopher Kamrani, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Some of Anys’ most entertaining content has been her easy clap-backs against trolls and haters.
    — Cecilia D'anastasio, Wired, 31 July 2020
  • Winger grabbed the javelin near the back of the runway, then urged the Hayward crowd into a rhythmic clap.
    — oregonlive, 22 July 2022
  • However, videos of a booing crowd with a few claps quickly made it to social media.
    — Sequoia Carrillo, NPR, 7 Sep. 2025
  • His clap just before halftime created a fourth-down fumble.
    — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
  • And maybe like a whistle or a clap in a movie hall is reflected as a story or a tweet in the streaming universe.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 22 Feb. 2023
  • The hide-and-clap scene is probably the most iconic image in the franchise, and for good reason.
    — Emily Palmer Heller, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
  • But a clap of thunder interrupts the moment, and Kate scurries to bed.
    — Sara Netzley, EW.com, 26 Mar. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clap.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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