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:
One clue comes from the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a lobbying arm of major auto manufacturers and equipment makers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
“I had kids come to class after saying, ‘Miss, I had no clue what half the material was, I’m not going to lie to you.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
But it's too early to judge the Williams upgrades - and Aston Martin provides a clue as to why.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
One clue that the precipitous drop might be getting overdone: The company has continued to report double-digit year-over-year revenue growth.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
"I found something. I think it's a clue to the missing slippers!"
From "The Cinderella Ballet Mystery: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #4" by Carolyn Keene
Warrick and others say this week’s events could offer clues to next season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
Investors will watch comments from Bank of Japan officials for clues to the timing of the next rate hike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
These rare signals carry clues to where the neutrinos came from and the extreme conditions that produced them — allowing scientists to investigate places that ordinary telescopes cannot easily see.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Those from deeper in space carry clues about cosmic mysteries, like the supermassive black holes at the heart of galaxies.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
That night, NBC and ABC news reported that there were still no clues as to the whereabouts of Daniel Ellsberg.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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
Investors in GameStop may have clued in to the financing arrangements of the deal, which could dilute shareholders.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
I don’t know how much Chloe knows about Greg/Gary’s past misdeeds, but I wonder if she’s clued in on his current plan and that’s where this awareness comes from?
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2025
A cloud of dust from the northeast clued me in to company coming.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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
“I am also a man of two minds,” he continues, cluing us in to the truth that every immigrant sometimes feels like a double agent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2023
The Oscars once showed off the magic of movies: They presented lots of clips from the year’s best films, cluing audiences in on how movies are made.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 18, 2022
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
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.
