Definition of coattail
1 : the rear flap of a man's coat
2 coattails plural : the skirts of a dress coat, cutaway, or frock coat
3 coattails plural : the influence or pulling power of a popular movement or person (such as a political candidate) congressmen riding into office on the president's coattails
Explore M-W
Recent Examples of coattail from the Web
-
The way a little child would be on the coattails of their parents.
-
Also not guaranteed: a bump in business from attempting to ride presidential coattails.
-
Business software maker PeopleSoft (PSFT) jumped $1.44 to $23.25, riding the coattails of rival SAP AG, which revealed a 43-percent increase in quarterly profit.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coattail'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Circa 1600
First Known Use of coattail
circa 1600
COATTAIL Defined for English Language Learners
coattail
playDefinition of coattail for English Language Learners
-
: a long piece of cloth that hangs down at the back of a man's formal coat
-
coattails : the help or influence of another person's work, ideas, or popularity
Learn More about coattail
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up coattail? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!