clue
Americannoun
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anything that serves to guide or direct in the solution of a problem, mystery, etc..
It is up to Aurora to piece together the clues and solve the murder before she becomes the next victim.
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a phrase or word provided as a hint to help find an answer or response in a crossword puzzle, on a game show, etc..
The celebrity editor's name was featured as a clue on the long-running quiz show.
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an insight into or knowledge about something.
As a kid from the suburbs, Patrick has lived a sheltered life and doesn't have a clue how to survive on his own.
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clew.
verb (used with object)
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to direct or point out by a clue.
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to help find (an answer in a puzzle or quiz) by providing a clue.
The four-letter “nose” was clued as “characteristic smell of wine.”
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clew.
verb phrase
noun
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something that helps to solve a problem or unravel a mystery
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to be completely baffled
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to be completely ignorant or incompetent
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verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have cluedperfect
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has cluedperfect 3rd person singular
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has been cluingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been cluingperfect progressive
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are cluingprogressive
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is cluingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am cluingprogressive 1st person singular
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cluessingular 3rd person
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cluingparticiple
Past
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had cluedperfect
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were cluingprogressive plural
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had been cluingperfect progressive
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was cluingprogressive singular
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cluedsimple
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cluedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of clue
First recorded in 1350–1400; variant spelling of clew
Explanation
A clue is a piece of evidence that helps solve a problem, or it's a slight hint. When you’re in the dark about the surprise party your friends are planning, they'll say, “She doesn’t have a clue!” When you first join the police force, you’re mostly just walking the beat. But when you’re promoted to detective, your job is to look for that big clue that will help you solve the case. The original Middle English word was clew, which meant “a ball of thread.” If you were trapped in a labyrinth, you could follow the clew to help find your way out.
Vocabulary lists containing clue
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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"Mysteries of the Ancient Past"
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"The Clever Old Woman" and "Argument"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There’s one other big clue that this is all just a huge metaphor for the internet, and that has to do with the company in the film, Async.
From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026
That has primed her devotees for this ultimate clue hunt.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
The coming ADP report for May provides an important clue ahead of Friday’s official jobs report.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026
Impacciatore: I made sure not to know anything about it because Esmeralda doesn’t have a clue.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
No one had a clue, because Perugia hadn’t talked.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
