coattail

noun coat·tail \ ˈkōt-ˌtāl \

|Updated on: 13 Jul 2018

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

See coattail defined for English-language learners

See coattail defined for kids

Recent Examples of coattail from the Web

Early indications suggest the president-elect’s coattails will make his Morena front, which includes smaller parties, the largest coalition in both legislative chambers.

— the editorial board, WSJ, "A Left Turn in Mexico," 1 July 2018
Al-Abadi, a member of al-Maliki’s Dawa party, won his seat in parliament on al-Maliki’s coattails.

— Washington Post, "Al-Abadi defeated IS. Why won’t he sweep Iraq’s elections?," 11 May 2018
Duque is considered the candidate to beat, but in an unexpected turn, Petro has been chasing his coattails.

— christine armario, Fox News, "Colombia's presidential election spawns fear, division," 25 May 2018
With no clear frontrunner in the #MTSen primary, Downing seems more than happy to ride Trump's coattails through the primaries.

— dan merica, CNN, "Michael Flynn to campaign for Montana Republican," 21 Apr. 2018
Here are some takeaways from what most analysts said should have been an easy GOP win Tuesday night: • Trump’s short coattails.

— jonathan tamari, Philly.com, "Why the tight House race in Western Pa. should worry Trump and the GOP," 13 Mar. 2018
Not surprisingly, none of the depictions painted McDaniels as coattail-riding, petulant or any of the other descriptions that have been assigned to him over the years.

— stephen holder, Indianapolis Star, "Patriots on Josh McDaniels: Smart. Innovative. Forward-thinking.," 19 Jan. 2018
Spranger, a Republican, has been battling other county officials and employee unions since taking office on Jan. 1, 2017, after winning a surprise victory on the coattails of President Donald Trump.

— christina hall, Detroit Free Press, "Attorney calls Macomb deputy clerk ‘cuckoo’ after lynching threat on voice mail," 21 Feb. 2018
That’s a lot of people riding the coattails of Foles (and Wentz) into better jobs, or in the case of Pederson, into a Super Bowl ring as head coach.

— gregg doyel, Indianapolis Star, "Doyel: I love* Colts hire of Frank Reich, and doubters can kiss my asterisk," 11 Feb. 2018

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.

First Known Use of coattail

circa 1600

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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COATTAIL Defined for English Language Learners

coattail

noun

Definition 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