CLOUT
What does "CLOUT" mean?
Influence or power, especially in politics or society.
Meanings
- Significant influence, power, or prestige. The union still has real clout at city hall.
- A heavy blow with the hand or a hard object. He gave the stuck door a clout with his fist. informal
- To hit hard, especially with the hand. She clouted the ball clean over the wall. informal
Did you know?
- 'Clout' meaning influence traces back through 'a heavy blow' to an Old English word for a patch of cloth or metal - power, hit, and rag all sharing one root.
Word origin
From Old English 'clūt', meaning a patch or small piece of cloth or metal; the sense 'a blow' arose from striking with such a piece, and 'influence' grew later from the idea of forceful impact.
Remember it
CLOUT = 'CLO' + 'UT'; picture someone who CLObbers their way to the top, then shouts it OUT.
A little poem
A whisper from the one with clout lands hard-
no fist required to leave the whole room scarred.
couplet
Wordplay
- He bragged about his online clout until the power went out. Turns out influence and electricity both need a working connection.
What it teaches
Clout borrowed from a crowd evaporates the moment the crowd looks away.
Quick facts
What does CLOUT mean?
Influence or power, especially in politics or society.
Is CLOUT a valid word?
Yes — CLOUT is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is CLOUT?
CLOUT has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does CLOUT come from?
From Old English 'clūt', meaning a patch or small piece of cloth or metal; the sense 'a blow' arose from striking with such a piece, and 'influence' grew later from the idea of forceful impact.
What can CLOUT teach us?
Clout borrowed from a crowd evaporates the moment the crowd looks away.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.