Showing results for "clout"

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Slang dictionary results for clout.

clout

American  

[klaut] / klaʊt /

noun

• clouts
  plural

1. a blow, especially with the hand; cuff.

   The bully gave him a painful clout on the head.

2. Informal. pull; strong influence; muscle, especially political power.

   a wealthy campaign contributor with clout at city hall.

3. Baseball. a long hit, especially an extra-base hit.

   A hard clout to deep center field drove in the winning run.

4. Archery.

   1. the mark or target shot at, especially in long-distance shooting.

   2. a shot that hits the mark.

5. Also called clout nail. a nail for attaching sheet metal to wood, having a short shank with a broad head.

6. Archaic.

   1. a patch or piece of cloth or other material used to mend something.

   2. any worthless piece of cloth; rag.

   3. an article of clothing (usually used contemptuously).

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verb (used with object)

1. to strike, especially with the hand; cuff.

2. Archaic.

   1. to bandage.

   2. to patch; mend.

clout British  

/ klaʊt /

noun

1. informal a blow with the hand or a hard object

2. power or influence, esp in politics

3. archery

   1. the target used in long-distance shooting

   2. the centre of this target

   3. a shot that hits the centre

4. Also called: clout nail. a short, flat-headed nail used esp for attaching sheet metal to wood

5. dialect

   1. a piece of cloth

      a dish clout

   2. a garment

   3. a patch

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verb

1. informal to give a hard blow to, esp with the hand

2. to patch with a piece of cloth or leather

Usage

What else does clout mean? To have clout is to have influence or power. In popular culture, people with clout are seen as popular and cool.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• clouter
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• clouts
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of clout

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English clūt “piece of cloth or metal”; cognate with Middle Low German klūte, Old Norse klūtr

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Explanation

When you speak of someone having clout, it usually means that they communicate a sense of power or influence, particularly in the political sense. "You’ll wanna talk to that big guy over there if you want me to let you in. He’s got clout." Clout can also mean to hit someone really hard — either the hit you give (“that’s a big clout he just landed”) or the act of hitting (“she clouted him with a baseball bat”). Of course, the sense of having power and the actual hitting are related, since clout is something to be wielded — either physically or figuratively. Note: it's not just tough guys who have clout. China is said to have "growing economic clout," and Oprah is known to have significant clout in the media industry.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clout clouts

Johansson has considerable clout — and a history of using it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026

For analysts and investors interested in Washington bolstering artificial intelligence, minerals and other industries key to America’s global clout, the holdings represent a portfolio that must be managed like any other.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

They were not just the sides who often dominated the top positions in the table, but also had the biggest fanbase, most financial clout and were usually the league's most successful sides.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Brazil’s booming agribusiness sector, fueled by soaring Chinese demand for Brazilian soybeans, beef and other commodities, has also given greater economic and political clout to the country’s conservative farming heartland.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

During the eighteen years of his reign, the city acquired diplomatic stature and commercial clout; its population grew to perhaps ten thousand and it established trade contacts throughout Mesoamerica.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

His clouts were described by The Times as “gigantic.”

From New York Times ● Oct. 22, 2021

If you were one of the 164,000 convicts transported to the Australian colonies, chances are you forked clys for screeves and clouts or worked the hoist to nail lobs and serve coves.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 19, 2019

The liner off Steve Trachsel, the shortest of McGwire’s mostly mammoth clouts that season, curled over the left-field wall at old Busch Stadium.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 9, 2015

The liner off Steve Trachsel, the shortest of McGwire's mostly mammoth clouts that season, curled over the left-field wall at old Busch Stadium.

From US News ● Oct. 9, 2015

Leggings, clouts, sporrans, and moccasins were soaked; the slippery, wet buckskins glistened like the hides of serpents; fringes, beaded belts, and sheaths shone as tinted frost sparkles at sunrise.

From Cardigan by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers

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Related Words

• influence
• prestige
• sway
• weight

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