clot
Americannoun
-
clots
plural
-
a mass or lump.
-
a semisolid mass, as of coagulated blood.
-
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)
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clots,
present (3rd person singular)
-
clotted,
past participle, past
-
clotting
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
clots,
present (3rd person singular)
-
clotted,
past participle, past
-
clotting
present participle
-
to cause to clot.
-
to cover with clots.
Carefully aimed snowballs clotted the house.
-
to cause to become blocked or obscured.
to clot the book's narrative with too many characters.
noun
-
a soft thick lump or mass
a clot of blood
-
informal a stupid person; fool
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
clotsimple
-
clotssimple
-
have clottedperfect
-
has clottedperfect
-
am clottingprogressive
-
are clottingprogressive
-
is clottingprogressive
-
have been clottingperfect progressive
-
has been clottingperfect progressive
Past
-
clottedsimple
-
had clottedperfect
-
was clottingprogressive
-
were clottingprogressive
-
had been clottingperfect progressive
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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"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.
See Examples For:
Initially, it was diagnosed as a superficial vein clot, and now it is a series of deep vein clots that have since traveled to Hurts’ lungs.
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026
On the night before a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was in London and diagnosed with a blood clot in his leg.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
An ultrasound revealed a superficial blood clot, but Hurts was cleared to play Oct.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
If a clot travels to the brain and blocks a blood vessel, it can trigger an ischemic stroke.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
Most cells in culture grew in a single layer in a clot on a glass surface, which meant they ran out of space quickly.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Initially, it was diagnosed as a superficial vein clot, and now it is a series of deep vein clots that have since traveled to Hurts’ lungs.
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026
Since then, the Eagles and Hurts’s agent confirmed that he had been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli, or clots in his lungs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has blood clots in his lungs, the team announced Monday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Tennis legend Serena Williams has twice dealt with blood clots; in 2010, she was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, and then had another diagnosis in 2017 after the birth of her daughter.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
The grass was thick with clots of sorrel and thistles that pricked his feet, through the sandals.
From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill
Expect it also to bust through the clotted mindset of Europe’s policymakers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Still, around the globe, other routes to citizenship are becoming more clotted.
From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026
High-fat creams generally contain 30-40% fat and include whipping cream, double cream and clotted cream.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 21, 2025
The bar is essentially a pistachio rendition of knafeh: a traditional Middle Eastern dessert made with kataifi, soaked in a sugar-based syrup called attar, and layered with cheese, clotted cream or nuts.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2024
Children and young people clotted together and moved back toward the kitchen.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
It also injects a bit of saliva, which contains anticoagulants to prevent the host’s blood from clotting as the mosquito feeds.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
Pulmonary embolism and hereditary coagulopathy — an arterial blockage in the lungs and issues with blood clotting either too much or too little — contributed to his death, People said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
By preventing shingles, the vaccine may also help reduce the likelihood of these dangerous clotting events.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 20, 2026
Revenue tied to Eliquis, a blood thinner that reduces the risk of clotting and stroke, also increased 8% .
From Barron's ● Feb. 3, 2026
Bhalla prescribed a half-dozen drugs to lower Wilson’s cholesterol, prevent clotting, and control his blood pressure.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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