tout

verb \ ˈtau̇t , in sense 1 also ˈtüt \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Examples: tout in a Sentence

Definition of tout

touted; touting; touts

transitive verb

1 : to make much of : promote, talk up

touted as the summer's blockbuster movie

the college's much touted women's studies program

2 : to solicit, peddle, or persuade importunately

not meant to tout you off the movie
—Russell Baker

3 : to spy on : watch

4 a British : to spy out information about (a racing stable, a horse, etc.)

b : to give a tip or solicit bets on (a racehorse)

intransitive verb

1 : to solicit patronage

2 a chiefly British : to spy on racehorses in training to gain information for betting

b : to give a tip or solicit bets on a racehorse

See tout defined for English-language learners

See tout defined for kids

Examples of tout in a Sentence

The company is running advertisements touting the drug's effectiveness.
The company's stock is being touted by many financial advisers.
People were touting tickets outside the stadium.
People were touting outside the stadium.

Recent Examples of tout from the Web

On Thursday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions was in Concord, N.H., touting a federal plan to get tougher on fentanyl dealers in cities hit hardest by the opiate abuse crisis.

— yvonne abraham, BostonGlobe.com, "The truth about Lawrence," 14 July 2018
Mas, a late-comer to the Beckham group who has given the stadium push a strong local voice, has been touting the plan on social media since releasing images and details last weekend.

— craig davis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "David Beckham, Jorge Mas encounter opposition in latest bid for Miami MLS stadium," 13 July 2018
The military plan is similar to one that rival -- and potential partner -- T-Mobile has been touting heavily in recent television ads.

— eli blumenthal, USA TODAY, "Sprint's new unlimited plans add choice-- and an option for Tidal," 12 July 2018
Sinema's campaign has been touting Biden's recent endorsement of her.

— yvonne wingett sanchez, azcentral, "Joe Biden to headline fundraiser for Rep. Kyrsten Sinema's U.S. Senate run," 10 July 2018
Much as with immigration, the Trump administration is touting aggressive policies on an issue where the trends have already reversed course.

— zachary karabell, WIRED, "Trump's Trade War Won't Hurt China. It Could Hurt US Tech," 27 June 2018
Earlier this year the company’s backers had been touting a figure of $100 billion for Xiaomi’s worth.

— jacky wong, WSJ, "Xiaomi Will Have to Dial Down Valuation Hopes," 19 June 2018
Tesla recently has been touting its economic footprint in California.

— adam ashton, sacbee, "Elon Musk's Tesla says new state rule punishes it for doing business in California," 11 June 2018
The company is touting a surveillance system called Lattice that would survey the motion of potential border-crossers from up to two miles away.

— shoshana wodinsky, The Verge, "Palmer Luckey’s border control tech has already caught dozens of people," 11 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tout.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tout

Middle English tuten to protrude, peer; probably akin to Old English tōtian to stick out, Norwegian tyte

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1700

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

See Words from the same year

tout Synonyms

Phrases

doff one's hat to (or doff one's cap to);

tout

noun

Definition of tout

: one who touts: such as

a : one who solicits patronage

b chiefly British : one who spies out racing information for betting purposes

c : one who gives tips or solicits bets on a racehorse

See tout defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of tout from the Web

Eight of the governors Cox touts have approval ratings below 50 percent.

— joe garofoli, SFChronicle.com, "John Cox, California governor candidate, says business background a big boost," 9 July 2018
Jockeys, grooms, hotwalkers, clockers, racing touts, coffee-stand vendors, even Baffert himself.

— david rovella, Bloomberg.com, "Your Evening Briefing," 4 May 2018
Anthony Bourdain entered the literary stage with an inside tip, delivered in the gruff whisper of a racetrack tout: Don’t order fish on Mondays.

— New York Times, "Anthony Bourdain Was a Teller of Often Unappetizing Truths," 8 June 2018
My team has spent most of the past 20 years being a broken shell of itself, trying out 10 different head coaches (including interims) since Shula, trying tout 18 different starting quarterbacks post-Marino.

— greg cote, miamiherald, "Confessions, frustrations of a lifelong Dolphins fan who grew up to cover the team | Miami Herald," 11 May 2018
Egypt's parliament has passed a law that would impose fines on overly aggressive touts as part of efforts to revive the country's tourism sector.

— Fox News, "Egypt's parliament passes law to fine aggressive touts," 26 Apr. 2018
In efforts to revive its tourism sector, Egypt has passed a bill this week imposing fines on overly aggressive touts.

— Washington Post, "Egypt’s parliament passes law to fine aggressive touts," 25 Apr. 2018
Eighty-eight percent tout treatments and only 18% mention screening, even though early diagnosis is more critical to survival than the interventions romanticized on TV.

— steve salerno, WSJ, "In the War on Cancer, Truth Becomes a Casualty," 20 Apr. 2018
Today, listings from one coast to another tout Bitcoin as a way to make a property transaction.

— andrew zaleski, Curbed, "Bitcoin’s young investors put their digital currency to work in the physical world," 21 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of tout

1853

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

TOUT Defined for English Language Learners

tout

verb

Definition of tout for English Language Learners

: to talk about (something or someone) as being very good, effective, skillful, etc.
: to try to persuade people to buy your goods or services
: to buy tickets for an event and resell them at a much higher price

tout

noun

Definition of tout for English Language Learners

: a person who sells information about which horses are likely to win the races at a racetrack
: a person who buys tickets for an event and resells them at a much higher price