clapback en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
Deverbal from clap back. Compare similarly formed Middle English ȝainclappe (“counterblow, riposte”, literally “back-clap”).
Meanings
- (countable, uncountable) An exercise where the pupil is instructed to repeat a previously played rhythm by clapping.
-
(countable, informal) A witty or sarcastic retort.
While these bits of online affirmation are addicting, so too are the online takedowns, the clapbacks, the snark.
2020 March 9, “'It's so toxic': why we're addicted to mean online gossip about women”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 10 Jun 2023:“My first truly viral video was a clapback to a nasty comment someone made about me being a stupid millennial and telling me to ‘go eat toast’,” Kung recalls.
2023 October 7, Ajesh Patalay, quoting Jon Kung, “Jon Kung, the self-taught chef who went viral”, in HTSI, London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 02 Oct 2023, page 77:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| clapbacks | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
playback · comeback · singback · talkback