noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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General-American, Received-Pronunciation:/ˈklæk/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
homophone: clack
rhymes with -æk
1
noun
Meaning 1
A group of people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: collective
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A group of fawning admirers.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A group of people who pre-arrange among themselves to express strong support for an idea, so as to give the false impression of a wider consensus.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
a group of followers hired to applaud at a performance
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: following, followers
History
Etymology
Borrowed from French claque (“group of people hired to applaud or boo, claque”, literally “a slap; a clap”).
Across languages
Translations
29 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
клакьори
(klakjori)
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Catalan:
claca
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Cebuano:
batos
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Chinese Mandarin:
集團喝彩 /集团喝彩
(jítuánhècǎi)
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Chinese Mandarin:
充場 /充场
(chōngchǎng)
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Chinese Mandarin:
職業觀衆 /职业观众
(zhíyè guānzhòng)
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Czech:
klaka
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Finnish:
palkattu yleisö
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
French:
claque
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
German:
Claque
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Hungarian:
klakk
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Icelandic:
klapplið
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Italian:
claque
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Japanese:
クラック
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Polish:
klaka
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Portuguese:
claque
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Russian:
кла́ка
(kláka)
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Russian:
кла́керы
(klákery)
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Spanish:
clac
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Spanish:
claque
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Swedish:
klack
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Swedish:
hejarklack
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Thai:
หน้าม้า
(nâa-máa)
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Turkish:
şakşakçı
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Ukrainian:
клака
(klaka)
— people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo
Finnish:
ihailijaryhmä
— group of fawning admirers
Czech:
klaka
— group of people who pre-arrange among themselves to express strong support for an idea
Finnish:
liittouma
— group of people who pre-arrange among themselves to express strong support for an idea
Finnish:
ryhmittymä
— group of people who pre-arrange among themselves to express strong support for an idea
