What does claquer mean?
A claque is a person hired to applaud at a theatrical or operatic performance, usually as part of an organized group known as a claque. The practice flourished in nineteenth-century Parisian opera houses, where performers or managers would pay squads of professional applauders to lead the audience in cheers, stamp out hostility, and manufacture an impression of success. In modern English the word survives chiefly as a historical or figurative term: it appears in writing about theater history and is used metaphorically for any sycophantic entourage that supplies insincere praise — a politician's loyalists or a celebrity's flatterers might be described as a claque of supporters. Connotations are strongly negative, implying manipulation and false enthusiasm. Though rare, it is a precise and colorful term worth knowing for anyone interested in the economics of reputation and applause.
nounA member of a claque — one of a group of people hired to applaud a performer or theatrical production, especially in an opera house or theater.
- A person hired to applaud a performer or performance, typically as part of an organized claque in a theater or opera house.
"The soprano suspected that her thunderous ovation had been engineered by hired claquers planted throughout the stalls."
"The impresario discreetly paid six claquers to ignite enthusiasm at the premiere."
"Critics complained that no honest verdict was possible while a paid claque occupied the cheap seats."
Regular plural; used when referring to multiple members of an organized applauding group.
"The director hired a dozen claquers to warm up the opening-night audience."
In 19th-century Paris opera houses you could literally buy applause — and each person on the payroll was a claqueur.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of claquer
Borrowed into English from French in the nineteenth century, 'claquer' derives from the French verb 'claquer', meaning to slap or clap, itself an imitative formation echoing the sharp sound of hands striking together. It is closely related to the noun 'claque', which names the organized body of professional applauders as a whole. The word entered English alongside descriptions of continental theatrical practice, where paid applause had become an established industry.
How claquer is actually used
A rare, somewhat literary borrowing from French, used almost exclusively in discussions of theater history or as a metaphor for artificial, orchestrated praise. The French form 'claqueur' is also sometimes seen in English texts.
Easily confused with claquer
A 'claque' is the organized group of hired applauders as a whole, while a 'claquer' (or 'claqueur') is a single member of such a group.