clot

noun \ ˈklät \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

Definition of clot

1 : a portion of a substance adhering together in a thick nondescript mass (as of clay or gum)

2 a : a roundish viscous lump formed by coagulation of a portion of liquid or by melting

b : a coagulated mass produced by clotting of blood

3 British : blockhead

4 : cluster, group

a clot of spectators

See clot defined for English-language learners

See clot defined for kids

Examples of clot in a Sentence

We were told that his stroke was caused by a clot in his brain.
a clot of daisies occupied one corner of the flower bed

Recent Examples of clot from the Web

Johnson missed most of last season because of blood clots in his arm and is still working his way back into playing shape.

— shandel richardson, Sun-Sentinel.com, "FAU junior Brandon Walton emerging as a leader on offensive line," 17 Apr. 2018
McFadden finished fourth last year, a tough race following a trying year of battling blood clots in her legs.

— anthony gulizia, BostonGlobe.com, "Conditions led to historically slow times for Monday’s Marathon winners," 16 Apr. 2018
Mosquito spit can bust blood clots in mice Does your blood run thick?

— katie langin, Science | AAAS, "Top stories: the oldest human fossil in Arabia, snakes on Mercury, and clot-busting mosquito spit," 13 Apr. 2018
In some cases, Miller says, inflammation increases the risk for dangerous clots, rather than eradicate the problem.

— markham heid, Time, "You Asked: What Is Inflammation, And Why Should I Care About It?," 11 Apr. 2018
Hogan fractured his collarbone, pelvis and ankle, survived life-threatening blood clots, spent several weeks in the hospital and struggled to walk.

— ron kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, "Tiger Woods might not be ready to win Masters quite yet," 4 Apr. 2018
Vodka can increase blood-flow and circulation in your body which can prevent clots, strokes, and other heart diseases.

— leah silverman, Town & Country, "7 Ways Vodka Is Actually Great For Your Health," 5 Mar. 2018
Much of aspirin's cardiovascular benefit, for example, stems from its ability—at a dose as low as 81 milligrams—to prevent clots from forming in the bloodstream.

— viviane callier, Scientific American, "Aspirin May Prevent Cancer from Spreading, New Research Shows," 1 May 2017
McCain in July was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive and deadly form of brain cancer, after doctors removed a blood clot during a procedure at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix.

— jessica boehm, azcentral, "The Rio Reimagined: Arizona's leaders support Salt River bed development pushed by McCain," 30 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'clot.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of clot

Middle English, from Old English clott; akin to Middle High German klōz lump, ball — more at clout

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

clot Synonyms

Synonyms

array, assemblage, band, bank, batch, battery, block, bunch, clump, cluster, clutch, collection, constellation, group, grouping, huddle, knot, lot, muster, package, parcel, passel, set, suite;

Near Antonyms

entity, item, single, unit;

agglomeration, assortment, hodgepodge, jumble, miscellany, mixture, odds and ends, sundries, variety;

cycle, run, series, suit;

Phrases

the whole kit and caboodle;

clot

verb

Definition of clot

clotted; clotting

intransitive verb

1 : to become a clot : form clots

2 : to undergo a sequence of complex chemical and physical reactions that results in conversion of fluid blood into a coagulated mass : coagulate

transitive verb

1 : to cause to form into or as if into a clot

2 : to fill with clots; also : clog

clotted streets

See clot defined for English-language learners

Examples of clot in a Sentence

medications that prevent blood from clotting
substances that help to clot blood

Recent Examples of clot from the Web

The white rice is exceptional, the grains swelling and clinging without clotting, so that the onigiri, gently patted into form by hand, stay fluffy and porous, not contracting with the loss of heat.

— ligaya mishan, New York Times, "Rice Balls, Subtle and Showy Alike, at Omusubi Gonbei," 12 Apr. 2018
The effort is rapidly expanding, and more schools are now stocking classrooms with supplies that would be familiar to any military medic: lightweight tourniquets, gauze coated with blood-clotting drugs and compression bandages.

— Washington Post, "Teachers acquire a new skill: how to stop the bleeding," 9 Apr. 2018
Guests can select individual main courses that range from sweet, such as babka pudding with roasted Harry's strawberries and clotted cream, to savory, such as a rabbit pappardelle with green garlic and fava beans.

— julie giuffrida, latimes.com, "Our 2018 Easter dining guide: brunch buffets, mimosas and plenty of eggs," 27 Mar. 2018
Hemophilia, a rare bleeding disorder caused by a gene mutation that prevents blood from clotting properly, is typically passed from mother to son.

— jenny gold, Washington Post, "Of ‘Miracles’ And Money: Why Hemophilia Drugs Are So Expensive," 8 Mar. 2018
The study published in the journal Nature Biotechnology uses nanotechnology to deliver thrombin, an enzyme that helps blood to clot.

— brett molina, USA TODAY, "Study used DNA nanorobots to kill cancerous tumors," 13 Feb. 2018
While plasma is restores volume that has been lost and red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body, both blood products lacked platelets, which can help clot an injury, such as a cut, stab, gunshot or hemorrhage.

— mayra cruz, Houston Chronicle, "Cypress Creek EMS improves hope for patient survival with new blood program," 9 Feb. 2018
Gay sat in my rental car and led me the rest of the way, over washboard roads that turned into something like a dry riverbed, clotted with boulders and jagged rock.

— jennifer percy, New York Times, "Fear of the Federal Government in the Ranchlands of Oregon," 18 Jan. 2018
Hemophilia is a hereditary genetic disorder, mostly affecting men, causing people to have low levels of clotting factor VIII, needed for their blood to clot.

— manisha ganguly, CNN, "Hemophilia trial finds promising cure," 14 Dec. 2017

First Known Use of clot

15th century

clot Synonyms

CLOT Defined for English Language Learners

clot

noun

Definition of clot for English Language Learners

: a stupid person

clot

verb

Definition of clot for English Language Learners

: to become thick and partly solid : to develop clots

CLOT Defined for Kids

clot

noun \ ˈklät \

Definition of clot for Students

: a lump made by some substance getting thicker and sticking together

a blood clot

clot

verb

Definition of clot for Students

clotted; clotting

: to become thick and partly solid

Medical Dictionary

clot

noun \ ˈklät \

medical Definition of clot

: a coagulated mass produced by clotting of blood

clot

verb

medical Definition of clot

clotted; clotting

intransitive verb

: to undergo a sequence of complex chemical and physical reactions that results in conversion of fluid blood into a coagulum and that involves shedding of blood, release of thromboplastin from blood platelets and injured tissues, inactivation of heparin by thromboplastin permitting calcium ions of the plasma to convert prothrombin to thrombin, interaction of thrombin with fibrinogen to form an insoluble fibrin network in which blood cells and plasma are trapped, and contraction of the network to squeeze out excess fluid : coagulate

transitive verb

: to cause to form into or as if into a clot