These words refer to simultaneous expressions of approval or praise by a number of persons. Applause may be given by voice or by clapping the hands. The word does not suggest any particular degree of enthusiasm, and depends on context or qualifying adjectives to indicate the intensity or sincerity of the approval.

• At the end of the concert, the pianist was greeted with a smattering of applause .

Acclaim and acclamation are more formal terms, and refer specifically to vocal expressions of praise or approval. In parliamentary bodies, a measure adopted by acclamation is one adopted by shouts of approval and applause rather than by individual votes; by acclamation can therefore be taken to mean by enthusiastic endorsement of the assembly. Acclaim need not refer particularly to actual cries of approval, but is perhaps more commonly used nowadays to express figurative applause : Einstein’s achievements earned him the acclaim of the entire scientific community. Plaudit , also a formal term, means a burst of applause , but, like acclaim , is often used figuratively, commonly in the plural: to receive the plaudits of one’s fellow musicians for an outstanding performance.