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
While state legislative candidates sometimes ride the coattails of the top of the ticket to victory, fierce partisans Downriver may not decide which party prevails in the fight to control the state House.
—
Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press, 13 Oct. 2024
There's a novelty to Osborn's candidacy as well for Nebraska -- with his momentum coming on the coattails of the Electoral College vote controversy, which also briefly thrust the state into national attention.
—Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2024
Riding off the coattails of shows like Big Little Lies, The Perfect Couple, out on Netflix now, has all the makings of a hit on paper.
—Patricia Karounos, refinery29.com, 10 Sep. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for coattail 
Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press, 13 Oct. 2024
There's a novelty to Osborn's candidacy as well for Nebraska -- with his momentum coming on the coattails of the Electoral College vote controversy, which also briefly thrust the state into national attention.
—Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2024
Riding off the coattails of shows like Big Little Lies, The Perfect Couple, out on Netflix now, has all the makings of a hit on paper.
—Patricia Karounos, refinery29.com, 10 Sep. 2024
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
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.
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Cite this Entry
“Coattail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coattail. Accessed 21 Oct. 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
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