# claque

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈklæk/

## Definitions
1. A group of people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo.
2. A group of fawning admirers.
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.

## Etymology
Borrowed from French claque (“group of people hired to applaud or boo, claque”, literally “a slap; a clap”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/claque