claptrap

¹clap·trap

noun \ˈklap-ˌtrap\

Definition of CLAPTRAP

: pretentious nonsense : trash

Examples of CLAPTRAP

1. His entire speech was nothing but claptrap.
2. I'm tired of hearing all that claptrap about how hard her life is.

Origin of CLAPTRAP

²clap; from its attempt to win applause

First Known Use: 1799

Related to CLAPTRAP

Synonyms: applesauce [slang], balderdash, baloney (also boloney), beans, bilge, blah (also blah-blah), blarney, blather, blatherskite, blither, bosh, bull [slang], bunk, bunkum (or buncombe), nonsense, codswallop [British], crapola [slang], crock, drivel, drool, fiddle, fiddle-faddle, fiddlesticks, flannel [British], flapdoodle, folderol (also falderal), folly, foolishness, fudge, garbage, guff, hogwash, hokeypokey, hokum, hoodoo, hooey, horsefeathers [slang], humbug, humbuggery, jazz, malarkey (also malarky), moonshine, muck, nerts [slang], nuts, piffle, poppycock, punk, rot, rubbish, senselessness, silliness, slush, stupidity, taradiddle (or tarradiddle), tommyrot, tosh, trash, trumpery, twaddle

Related Words: absurdity, asininity, fatuity, foolery, idiocy, imbecility, inaneness, inanity, insanity, kookiness, lunacy; absurdness, craziness, madness, senselessness, witlessness; hoity-toity, monkey business, monkeyshine(s), shenanigan(s), tomfoolery; gas, hot air, rigmarole (also rigamarole); double-talk, greek, hocus-pocus

Near Antonyms: levelheadedness, rationality, reasonability, reasonableness, sensibleness; common sense, horse sense, sense; discernment, judgment (or judgement), wisdom

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Rhymes with CLAPTRAP

ASCAP, backslap, backwrap, bitmap, blackcap, bootstrap, burlap, Carnap, catnap, cell sap, death cap, death trap, dunce cap, dognap, earflap, entrap, enwrap, firetrap, foolscap, gelcap, gift wrap, gun lap, heeltap, hubcap, ice cap, jockstrap, kidnap, kneecap, lagniappe, light trap, livetrap, love tap, madcap, mantrap, mayhap, mishap, mobcap, mousetrap, mud flap, nightcap, on tap, pace lap, pinesap, rattrap, recap, redcap, remap, riprap, road map, root cap, sand trap, shiplap, shrink-wrap, skullcap, skycap, snowcap, spark gap, speed trap, steel-trap, stopgap, toe cap, unsnap, unstrap, unwrap, watch cap, whitecap, wind gap, winesap, wiretap, word wrap