clue

play

noun \ ˈklü \

Definition of clue

1 :something that guides through an intricate procedure or maze of difficulties; specifically :a piece of evidence that leads one toward the solution of a problem

2 :idea, notion

had no clue what he meant

See clue defined for English-language learners

See clue defined for kids

Examples of clue in a Sentence

The book gives the reader plenty of clues to solve the mystery.
Science gives us clues about the origin of the universe.
“Guess who I met today.” “Can you give me a clue?”
It gives a clue as to how to proceed.

Recent Examples of clue from the Web

The Mooresville Police Department sent out teams with cadaver-sniffing dogs Monday morning after receiving new clues in a 2003 missing persons case.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "Cadaver dogs search for body of Mooresville woman missing since 2003," 28 Aug. 2017
As Alison Flood reports for the Guardian, the university has invited fans to pour through its expansive collection of Martin’s papers, in search of clues about upcoming Game of Thrones plot points.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Texas University Invites Fans to Scour George R.R. Martin’s Archives for Plot Clues," 26 Aug. 2017
The over-the-top showdown finale comes largely out of the blue after clues lead Banner to a nearby oil digging crew.

— jake coyle, idahostatesman, "In ‘Wind River’ grief blankets a Wyoming reservation," 17 Aug. 2017
Sophie Turner has confirmed as much as fans have noticed plenty of clues about her character this season already.

— kayleigh roberts, Marie Claire, "'Game of Thrones' Just Hid Clues in Both Sansa AND Arya's Hairstyles," 13 Aug. 2017
And likewise, your period can also give you a clue as to what's going on with your body.

— beth anne macaluso, Redbook, "What Your Period Says About Your Health As You Get Older," 9 Aug. 2017
But no one on the show, except creepy, all-knowing Bran, has any clue that Jon and Daenerys are related.

— joanna robinson, HWD, "Game of Thrones: The Explosive New Conflict Hiding in George R.R. Martin’s Original Outline," 8 Aug. 2017
Another clue: Audrey says that Chuck stole a truck from Billy.

— laura bradley, vanityfair.com, "Dissecting Audrey Horne’s Baffling Twin Peaks Return," 31 July 2017
And if nothing else, the name should give you a clue: Paint’s a two-dimensonal (2D) app, while Paint 3D creators operate in three-dimensional space.

— mark hachman, PCWorld, "Microsoft Paint may be doomed: Why it's wrong, and what you can do about it," 24 July 2017

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

Did You Know?

The word clue was originally a variant spelling of clew, meaning “ball of thread or yarn.” Our modern sense of clue, “guide to the solution of a mystery,” grows out of a motif in myth and folklore, the ball of thread that helps in finding one’s way out of a maze. Of these stories the best known is the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. In the myth, Theseus unravels a ball of thread as he searches for the monstrous Minotaur in the Labyrinth. After killing the Minotaur, he retraces his steps out of the maze by rewinding the thread.

Origin and Etymology of clue

alteration of clew

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1665

See Words from the same year

clue Synonyms

Synonyms

hint, cue, indication, inkling, intimation, lead, suggestion

Near Antonyms

answer, solution

clue

verb

Definition of clue

clued; clueing or cluing

transitive verb

1 :to provide with a clue

2 :to give reliable information to

he clued me in on how it happened

See clue defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of clue from the Web

The more disciplines that are clued into what’s happening the better.

— henry gass, The Christian Science Monitor, "Salvage archaeology: When rising seas threaten to wash away history," 4 Aug. 2017
That's not going to happen, and investors are cluing in.

— joe mullin, Ars Technica, "Twitter’s stock plunges as user growth stalls," 27 July 2017
Angel Santiago, one of the survivors of the Pulse massacre in 2016, is clued into what is going on while his health lies in the balance.

— naseem s. miller, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Billy Manes wrote about local health issues with insight, expertise," 24 July 2017
If, and when precisely Trump was clued in -- will go a long way in determining the depth and scope of his campaign's activities.

— gregory krieg, CNN, "5 new questions about Donald Trump Jr. -- and his emails," 11 July 2017
Despite its implicit promise to clue people into what urban people—read: minorities—are saying, Urban Dictionary does not draw from any source of expertise.

— clio chang, New Republic, "Why Urban Dictionary Is Horrifically Racist," 5 July 2017
Investigations like Mueller's have a way of moving from Topic A to Topic Z, from Ozarks real estate to an intern's blue dress as one question begets another and clue leads to clue.

— david von drehle, Time, "Will Robert Mueller Separate Fact From Fiction?," 22 June 2017
After that, things progressed quickly, with only a handful of people inside the White House, NSC and Congress clued in.

— patricia mazzei, miamiherald, "Inside Oval Office, Rubio and Diaz-Balart pushed Trump to crack down on Cuba," 15 June 2017
Clue Connect and other period-tracking apps point to a societal change in women's attitudes toward menstruation.

— julie washington, cleveland.com, "Period-tracking apps give heads-up when menstrual cycle is due," 9 June 2017

First Known Use of clue

1934

CLUE Defined for English Language Learners

clue

play

noun

Definition of clue for English Language Learners

: something that helps a person find something, understand something, or solve a mystery or puzzle
: an understanding of something : knowledge about something

CLUE Defined for Kids

clue

play

noun \ ˈklü \

Definition of clue for Students

:something that helps a person to find something or to solve a mystery

History for clue

The word clue was originally an alternate spelling of clew, meaning “a ball of thread or yarn.” Our usual modern sense of clue, “something that helps solve a mystery,” grows out of the image of a ball of thread that helps a person to find a way out of a maze. Of stories containing this image, the best known is the Greek myth of Theseus and Ariadne. Ariadne gave the hero Theseus a ball of thread that he unraveled as he searched the labyrinth, or huge maze, of her father, King Minos. After killing the monster in the labyrinth, Theseus retraced his steps by rewinding the thread.