clot
Americannoun
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a mass or lump.
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a semisolid mass, as of coagulated blood.
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a small compact group of individuals.
a clot of sightseers massed at the entrance.
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British Informal. blockhead, dolt, clod.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to cause to clot.
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to cover with clots.
Carefully aimed snowballs clotted the house.
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to cause to become blocked or obscured.
to clot the book's narrative with too many characters.
noun
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a soft thick lump or mass
a clot of blood
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informal a stupid person; fool
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have clottedperfect
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has clottedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been clottingperfect progressive
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are clottingprogressive
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clottingparticiple
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am clottingprogressive 1st person singular
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is clottingprogressive 3rd person singular
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clotssingular 3rd person
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has been clottingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had clottedperfect
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were clottingprogressive plural
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clottedsimple
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had been clottingperfect progressive
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clottedparticiple
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was clottingprogressive singular
Future
Etymology
Origin of clot
before 1000; Middle English; Old English clott lump; cognate with Middle Dutch klotte, German Klotz block, log ( cf. klutz)
Explanation
A clot is a mass of coagulated blood. It's your body's way of repairing itself, stopping blood from flowing and beginning to heal a wound. You can use the noun clot for any liquid that forms a solid lump or mass, though it's usually a medical term specifically related to blood. Some clots are useful, like the ones that form on skin that's been cut, while others — like those that occur inside blood vessels — can be harmful. Clot can also be a verb, meaning to clog or coagulate. The root is the German word Klotz, which means "lump or block."
Vocabulary lists containing clot
Long Way Down
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Half a World Away
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"Death of a Naturalist" by Seamus Heaney
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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.
She thought it was the baby, but a nurse confirmed it was a blood clot, 3 inches across.
From Salon • May 27, 2026
Maradona, regarded as one of the greatest football players of all times, died in November 2020 at age 60, while recovering at home from surgery for a brain clot.
From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026
At the Olivos Clinic in Buenos Aires, doctors detected a blood clot on his brain, which was removed during an emergency operation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
I’m living my whole life, not even knowing I have this thing and and if I don’t clot, there are plenty of people out there that live to 100 years old and have it.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026
It was a whole clot of Hamiltons growing up on the ranch to the east of King City.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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.
