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Added 8 October 2026

clout

/klaʊt/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about clout at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A target used in archery.
Special advantage or influence.
the chairman's nephew has a lot of pull
A short nail with a flat head; used to attach sheet metal to wood.

verb

Strike hard, especially with the fist.
He clouted his attacker

Origin

From Middle English clout (“piece of cloth”), from Old English clūt (“piece of cloth, patch; metal plate”), from Proto-West Germanic *klūt, from Proto-Germanic *klūtaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gelewdos, from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to ball up, amass”). The influence sense originated in the dialect of Chicago, but has become widespread. Cognate with Old Norse klútr (“kerchief”), Swedish klut, Danish klud, Middle High German klōz (“lump”), whence German Kloß (“clump”), and dialectal Russian глуда (gluda). See also cleat.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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