1. people hired to applaud at a performance or public event
Usage: theatrical; plural form

Examples

• The opera house employed claqueurs to ensure enthusiastic applause.
• Critics suspected that claqueurs were responsible for the standing ovation.
• In 19th-century Paris, claqueurs were a common sight at theatrical performances.
• The politician’s speech was met with applause from obvious claqueurs.
• Theater managers often hired claqueurs to boost audience response.
• The claqueurs began clapping at precisely the right moments.