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
Examples of coattail in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Not only did Arsenal hang onto City’s coattails again, but the team improved and forced Guardiola’s side to improve.
—
Matias Grez, CNN, 16 Aug. 2024
Riding Harris’s coattails Democratic excitement about having a new principal at the top of the presidential ticket has turned a presidential race into a true toss-up.
—Max Thornberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 Aug. 2024
Johnson, then 56 and a onetime elementary school teacher, was underestimated in her time on the show and seen mostly as riding on the coattails of eventual winner Ethan Zohn.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 29 July 2024
China is not just riding the coattails of recent history, however.
—Scott Moskowitz, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2013
See all Example Sentences for coattail 
Matias Grez, CNN, 16 Aug. 2024
Riding Harris’s coattails Democratic excitement about having a new principal at the top of the presidential ticket has turned a presidential race into a true toss-up.
—Max Thornberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 Aug. 2024
Johnson, then 56 and a onetime elementary school teacher, was underestimated in her time on the show and seen mostly as riding on the coattails of eventual winner Ethan Zohn.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 29 July 2024
China is not just riding the coattails of recent history, however.
—Scott Moskowitz, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2013
See all Example Sentences for coattail
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coattail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to coattail
Dictionary Entries Near coattail
Cite this Entry
“Coattail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coattail. Accessed 10 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
coattail
noun
coat·tail
ˈkōt-ˌtāl 
1
: the rear flap of a man's coat
2
plural
: the influence of a popular movement or person
politicians riding into office on the president's coattails
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share