tout

American  

[tout] / taʊt /

verb (used without object)

touts, present (3rd person singular) touted, past participle, past touting present participle

1. to persistently solicit business, employment, votes, or the like.

2. Horse Racing. to act as a tout.

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verb (used with object)

touts, present (3rd person singular) touted, past participle, past touting present participle

1. to persistently solicit support for.

2. to describe or advertise boastfully; publicize or promote; praise extravagantly.

   a highly touted nightclub.

3. Horse Racing.

   1. to provide information on (a horse) running in a particular race, especially for a fee.

   2. to spy on (a horse in training) in order to gain information for the purpose of betting.

4. to watch; spy on.

noun

1. a person who persistently solicits business, employment, support, or the like.

2. Horse Racing.

   1. a person who gives information on a horse, especially for a fee.

   2. Chiefly British. a person who spies on a horse in training for the purpose of betting.

3. British. a ticket scalper.

tout British  

/ taʊt /

verb

1. to solicit (business, customers, etc) or hawk (merchandise), esp in a brazen way

2. (intr)

   1. to spy on racehorses being trained in order to obtain information for betting purposes

   2. to sell, or attempt to sell, such information or to take bets, esp in public places

3. informal (tr) to recommend flatteringly or excessively

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noun

1. 1. a person who spies on racehorses so as to obtain betting information to sell

   2. a person who sells information obtained by such spying

2. a person who solicits business in a brazen way

3. Also called: ticket tout.  a person who sells tickets unofficially for a heavily booked sporting event, concert, etc, at greatly inflated prices

4. a police informer

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• touter
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have touted
  perfect
• has touted
  perfect 3rd person singular
• is touting
  progressive 3rd person singular
• have been touting
  perfect progressive
• are touting
  progressive
• has been touting
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• touts
  singular 3rd person
• am touting
  progressive 1st person singular
• touting
  participle

Past

• had touted
  perfect
• had been touting
  perfect progressive
• was touting
  progressive singular
• touted
  simple
• touted
  participle
• were touting
  progressive plural

Future

• will tout
  simple
• will have touted
  perfect
• will be touting
  progressive
• will have been touting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of tout

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Middle English tuten “to look out, peer”; probably akin to Old English tōtian “to peep out”

Explanation

To tout means to praise, boast, or brag about. If you like to tout your skill as a skier, you tell people you can go down expert-level hills. Sometimes parents will get into bragging wars about their children, each touting the accomplishments of his or her child. Sometimes the word means more of "to claim." The company touted the lotion as a solution to wrinkles. Broccoli has been touted as the cancer-fighting vegetable. In England, a tout is a person who gives advice about gambling. If you're looking to play some money on the ponies, go see the tout who hangs out at Jackie’s bar for a tip.

Example Sentences

To tout that total lack of characterization as unique or revolutionary is a joke.

From Salon • Jun. 4, 2026

Campaign strategists love to tout a military record, a blue-collar résumé, small-business ownership, and a life of family and faith, in part because they suggest qualities that bode well for a political leader.

From Slate • Jun. 2, 2026

New graduates have been booing commencement speakers who tout AI.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

He is using his money to not only tout his record and build a robust campaign operation, but to slash at competitors who present a threat to his candidacy.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

I’m always amused by commercials for banks which tout their personalized service, which service amounts to a poorly trained and badly paid cashier saying “Good morning” and then promptly fouling up your transaction.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

Related Words

• laud
• praise
• proclaim
• promote
• publicize
• trumpet