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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.
Synonyms
Examples of clue in a Sentence
WSJ, 20 Sep. 2023
Investors will be looking for clues that the Fed is done hiking rates, but Fed Chair Jerome Powell will likely stress in his post-meeting news conference that inflation remains unacceptably high.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 20 Sep. 2023
At press time, Swifties have continued to inch closer to even more clues.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2023
The eight strong El Niño fall and winter periods since 1950 offer clues as to what might lie ahead.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2023
However, what experts understand about how the body absorbs heavy metals holds clues as to which forms of marijuana use are riskier.
—Kaitlin Sullivan, Health, 16 Sep. 2023
But other researchers at security firm Mandiant point to clues that these hackers may be the same ones that had been previously discovered targeting electrical utilities in India.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 12 Sep. 2023
What these strange creatures exactly represent may be in the eye of the beholder, though cautionary hints about climate change and the eroding Alps provide a clue.
—Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2023
An administrator at the hotel would later recall the scene as one of the first clues that something was terribly wrong in Lahaina.
—Corina Knoll, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023
Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2023
Buried in them are surprising new details about the day Alexis disappeared and clues to what might have happened in a case that continues to haunt the city.
—Gina Barton, USA TODAY, 20 July 2023
The clock rules aren’t changing back, and Day has said enough already to wear fans out -- and clue Michigan in.
—Jimmy Watkins, cleveland, 13 Sep. 2023
In a video uploaded on the country superstar's Instagram on August 24, Luke decided to clue his followers in on his Fendt and Luke Bryan's Boldly Grown Peanuts collaboration.
—Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 30 Aug. 2023
Lucic, who was clued into Bergeron and David Krejci’s decisions before they were announced last summer, may have intentionally omitted those two.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 2 July 2023
But he’s soon forced to clue them in, especially when he’s ordered to throw their cellphones out of the car.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Aug. 2023
John Tuttle, the vice chair of the New York Stock Exchange, is likely to enter the race and could make an announcement as early as mid-July, according to a source clued into Michigan politics and familiar with Tuttle’s thinking.
—Time, 29 June 2023
Defense attorneys said documents recently released by the Orange County Crime Lab clued them in that the evidence was moved.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clue.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Clue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clue. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
clue
1 of 2 nounclue
2 of 2 verb
More from Merriam-Webster on clue
Nglish: Translation of clue for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of clue for Arabic Speakers
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