1. Approval expressed especially by the clapping of hands.
2. Praise; commendation: a scientific discovery that won critical applause.

[Medieval Latin applausus, from past participle of Latin applaudere, to applaud. See applaud.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.