klutz
Americannoun
-
a clumsy, awkward person.
-
a stupid or foolish person; blockhead.
noun
Other Word Forms
- klutzy adjective
Etymology
Origin of klutz
1965–70, < Yiddish klots literally, wooden beam < Middle High German kloc ( German Klotz )
Explanation
If you're awkward and clumsy, you can call yourself a klutz. If a klutz is carrying a tray of full glasses across a dining room, you can be sure they'll end up on the floor. This informal word is perfect for talking about a goofy oaf who trips over his own feet and seems to drop anything he's holding. You might say, "Don't let my brother move your TV — he's such a klutz!" Klutz is the Americanized version of the Yiddish klots, which means "block or lump," and also "clumsy person or blockhead." A related word in German is klotz, "boor, clod, or wooden block."
Vocabulary lists containing klutz
Awkward Moments
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More English Words Derived from Yiddish
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Whoops! Synonyms for "Clumsy"
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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.
Yiddish, the language spoken by Ashkenazi Jews across Europe before the Holocaust, is now perhaps best known to many English speakers through words such as "schlep", "klutz" and "chutzpah".
From Barron's • Oct. 26, 2025
She brought up President Ford, who once tripped and was forever branded a klutz, thanks in part to a “Saturday Night Live” skit.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 27, 2023
Haider is a klutz — “by the grace of Allah, you’re really terrible,” a director groans — and the theater’s finances make zero sense.
From New York Times • Apr. 6, 2023
That’s great, but it won’t be appreciated by anyone who isn’t a klutz, an adventurer, or an adventurous klutz.
From The Verge • Aug. 18, 2022
Have to get over this savior complex, I instruct myself, no one wants to be rescued by a klutz.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
