applause

/əˈplɔz/

/əˈplɔz/

Other forms: applauses

After a theatrical performance, audience members typically use applause, or hand-clapping, to express their approval. (Of course, sometimes applause just means the audience is glad it’s time to go home.)

Back in ancient Rome, actors requested applause from the audience by declaring “Plaudite!” This fact sheds light on the origin of applause — and it definitively proves that performers have been seeking approval from audiences for millennia. Oddly enough, however, it’s considered inappropriate to applaud between the movements of a piece of classical music, regardless of how much you enjoyed the performance. Some concertgoers choose to defy this rule, in spite of the nasty looks they get from neighbors.

Definitions of applause

1. noun

   a demonstration of approval by clapping the hands together
   synonyms: clapping, hand clapping

   types:

   hand

   a round of applause to signify approval

   handclap

   a clap of the hands to indicate approval

   round

   an outburst of applause

   type of:

   approval, commendation

   a message expressing a favorable opinion