1
dialectal, chiefly British
: a piece of cloth or leather : rag
2
: a blow especially with the hand
When she was naughty, she would get a clout from her mother.
also
: a hard hit in baseball
3
: a white cloth on a stake or frame used as a target in archery
clouted; clouting; clouts
1
: to cover or patch with a clout
clouted his worn-out shoe with a piece of leather
2
: to hit forcefully
He clouted 19 home runs last year.
He clouted him on the back of the head.
Synonyms
Noun
- bang
- bash
- bat
- beat
- belt
- biff
- blow
- bop
- box
- buffet
- bust
- chop
- clap
- clip
- crack
- cuff
- dab
- douse [British]
- fillip
- hack
- haymaker
- hit
- hook
- knock
- larrup [dialect]
- lash
- lick
- pelt
- pick
- plump
- poke
- pound
- punch
- rap
- slam
- slap
- slug
- smack
- smash
- sock
- spank
- stinger
- stripe
- stroke
- swat
- swipe
- switch
- thud
- thump
- thwack
- wallop
- welt
- whack
- wham
- whop
- whap
Verb
Examples of clout in a Sentence
Noun
She used her political clout to have another school built.
gave the stubborn handle a solid clout to make it turn
Verb
He clouted 19 home runs last year.
He'll clout me around the head if he finds out what I've done.
Recent Examples on the Web
Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
In short, despite the tone-lowering inclusion of a few journalists, this was a guest list with serious clout.
—Luke Leitch, Vogue, 19 Apr. 2024
California loses national political clout as people leave.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Along with discussions about the economy, there will also be a panel at the summit on how Haitians abroad can use their votes and political clout in the United States to help steer policy.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
But the release of the League Two club’s latest accounts is a reminder of the financial clout the actors have brought with them to help Wrexham consistently crush its closest opposition.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 3 Apr. 2024
Officials urged the donors to give more, casting the moment as perilous for the group’s mission, even as the programming demonstrated AIPAC’s enduring clout.
—Kenneth P. Vogel, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
Even if the title of opposition leader would pass to another dissident, someone with clout and experience within the revolutionary movement, the void would remain.
—Simon Shuster / Vilnius, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
Its narrative chops and cultural clout are undisputed.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Apr. 2024
Alan J. Borsuk, Journal Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2024
Rapinoe, her replacement, clouted her kick well above the bar.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Aug. 2023
The home run derby title went to St. Augustine senior first baseman M.J. Sweeney, who clouted six home runs in the first round and seven more in the final round to out-slug Madison senior outfielder Jake Jackson, who had six home runs in the first round but only three in the final.
—Rick Hoff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 June 2023
Professional sports leagues and clubs are asked to use their platforms and clout to raise awareness.
—Darlene Superville, Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2023
The home run reminded folks that Schwarber clouted a Darvish pitch just last October, into Petco Park’s upper deck beyond right field, during the National League Championship Series.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2023
After Trump left his office, his allies, with money to make and clout to keep, turned to Saudi Arabia as a business pipeline.
—New York Times, 27 July 2022
That’s because, despite your plutonium card status, earned by staying across that group’s thousands of properties, advisors have clout with that particular hotel based on regularly booking clients there.
—Doug Gollan, Forbes, 7 June 2021
The researchers then clout the strontium with a laser that puts the atoms in a superposition state.
—Chris Lee, Ars Technica, 13 Apr. 2020
Noun
One thing helping the UAW is that unions have much more clout in Germany than in the United States, and the main Volkswagen union there has a seat on the company’s board.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
In short, despite the tone-lowering inclusion of a few journalists, this was a guest list with serious clout.
—Luke Leitch, Vogue, 19 Apr. 2024
California loses national political clout as people leave.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Along with discussions about the economy, there will also be a panel at the summit on how Haitians abroad can use their votes and political clout in the United States to help steer policy.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
But the release of the League Two club’s latest accounts is a reminder of the financial clout the actors have brought with them to help Wrexham consistently crush its closest opposition.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 3 Apr. 2024
Officials urged the donors to give more, casting the moment as perilous for the group’s mission, even as the programming demonstrated AIPAC’s enduring clout.
—Kenneth P. Vogel, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
Even if the title of opposition leader would pass to another dissident, someone with clout and experience within the revolutionary movement, the void would remain.
—Simon Shuster / Vilnius, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
Its narrative chops and cultural clout are undisputed.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Apr. 2024
Verb
But possible changes in whose voice matters might give the state superintendent more clout ahead.
—Alan J. Borsuk, Journal Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2024
Rapinoe, her replacement, clouted her kick well above the bar.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Aug. 2023
The home run derby title went to St. Augustine senior first baseman M.J. Sweeney, who clouted six home runs in the first round and seven more in the final round to out-slug Madison senior outfielder Jake Jackson, who had six home runs in the first round but only three in the final.
—Rick Hoff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 June 2023
Professional sports leagues and clubs are asked to use their platforms and clout to raise awareness.
—Darlene Superville, Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2023
The home run reminded folks that Schwarber clouted a Darvish pitch just last October, into Petco Park’s upper deck beyond right field, during the National League Championship Series.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2023
After Trump left his office, his allies, with money to make and clout to keep, turned to Saudi Arabia as a business pipeline.
—New York Times, 27 July 2022
That’s because, despite your plutonium card status, earned by staying across that group’s thousands of properties, advisors have clout with that particular hotel based on regularly booking clients there.
—Doug Gollan, Forbes, 7 June 2021
The researchers then clout the strontium with a laser that puts the atoms in a superposition state.
—Chris Lee, Ars Technica, 13 Apr. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near clout
Cite this Entry
“Clout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clout. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
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