clue
Americannoun
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clues
plural
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anything that serves to guide or direct in the solution of a problem, mystery, etc..
It is up to Aurora to piece together the clues and solve the murder before she becomes the next victim.
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a phrase or word provided as a hint to help find an answer or response in a crossword puzzle, on a game show, etc..
The celebrity editor's name was featured as a clue on the long-running quiz show.
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an insight into or knowledge about something.
As a kid from the suburbs, Patrick has lived a sheltered life and doesn't have a clue how to survive on his own.
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clew.
verb (used with object)
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clues,
present (3rd person singular)
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clued,
past participle, past
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cluing
present participle
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to direct or point out by a clue.
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to help find (an answer in a puzzle or quiz) by providing a clue.
The four-letter “nose” was clued as “characteristic smell of wine.”
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clew.
verb phrase
noun
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something that helps to solve a problem or unravel a mystery
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to be completely baffled
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to be completely ignorant or incompetent
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verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cluesimple
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cluessimple
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have cluedperfect
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has cluedperfect
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am cluingprogressive
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are cluingprogressive
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is cluingprogressive
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have been cluingperfect progressive
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has been cluingperfect progressive
Past
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cluedsimple
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had cluedperfect
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was cluingprogressive
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were cluingprogressive
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had been cluingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of clue
First recorded in 1350–1400; variant spelling of clew
Explanation
A clue is a piece of evidence that helps solve a problem, or it's a slight hint. When you’re in the dark about the surprise party your friends are planning, they'll say, “She doesn’t have a clue!” When you first join the police force, you’re mostly just walking the beat. But when you’re promoted to detective, your job is to look for that big clue that will help you solve the case. The original Middle English word was clew, which meant “a ball of thread.” If you were trapped in a labyrinth, you could follow the clew to help find your way out.
Vocabulary lists containing clue
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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"Mysteries of the Ancient Past"
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"The Clever Old Woman" and "Argument"
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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:
“I was just along for the ride, and owning that I had no clue what I was doing, but I think I brought a good vibe.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
One possible clue to women's slightly higher long-term returns lies in how often they buy and sell their investments, with Barclays data showing that women trade around half as frequently as men.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
The newly observed plasma vortices may offer an important clue to how the Sun stores and releases energy within its magnetic field, including through tiny bursts of radiation called nanoflares.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
One clue: The number of people who applied for unemployment benefits at the end of July fell to an unadjusted 175,000 — one of the lowest levels in 60 years.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
I said, wanting some clue as to how I could find her again.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
The fossils offer new clues to the origins and early evolution of the insect body plan while also revealing how the rise of insects contributed to the emergence of increasingly complex ecosystems on land.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
“Huss was running about like he knew what the answer was already, just looking for clues and stories that he could use,” Cotlar said.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
Researchers also identified molecular programs involved in controlling this process, offering potential clues for developing new treatments.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
But with many vessels switching off their AIS before crossing Hormuz, analysts have to reconstruct the voyages using satellite imagery and other clues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
"The best part," Nancy said, "is the clues on each container leading to the surprise!"
From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" by Carolyn Keene
How could the clueless become clued if their peers weren’t picking on their every lame move?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
No one clued in Dale about this, or anybody else, for that matter.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
I skipped the steps of the application process that would have clued the agency in on my lack of fitness for the position.
From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2026
An American tourist called Dorothy said she wasn't worried about visiting Angkor as she was clued in to travel logistics and border rules, saying she felt "very safe".
From Barron's ● Dec. 24, 2025
Finally, some guy clued in and made a dive for the body on the floor.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
Anyone can check it out, but it’s geared toward cluing in ranchers in an effort to prevent wolf-livestock conflict.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2025
Some still maintain that the Knicks’ envelope was frozen or had a bent corner, cluing in NBA Commissioner and native New Yorker David Stern as to which envelope to choose.
From Washington Times ● May 9, 2023
Not long after, there’s Jim Carroll’s rocking, doom-soaked “People Who Died,” cluing viewers in to the fact that a whole bunch of these people aren’t long for the picture.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 5, 2021
The nonlinear chronology allows him to start in the present moment, cluing us in to a central truth of the book: We are always in the present.
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2021
Without cluing in Byrd or even Ray, Axel starts back up the driveway.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
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.
