clout 1 of 2

noun

ˈklau̇t How to pronounce clout (audio)
Definition of cloutnext
1
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument gave the stubborn handle a solid clout to make it turn

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in influence
the power to direct the thinking or behavior of others usually indirectly has a great deal of clout in the film industry

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

clout

2 of 2

verb

as in to punch
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner clouted the nail with the hammer and drove it all the way into the wood

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clout
Noun
As the show’s audience has grown, so has Rogan’s clout in the political arena. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026 The cultural clout of the bootleg aesthetic was on display during the Knicks’s ticker-tape championship parade, when New York first lady Rama Duwaji, then 28, wore a custom dress featuring several upcycled bootleg T-shirts. — Matt Martell, Vogue, 6 Oct. 2026
Verb
Pellegrino, a 6-foot-3 forward who’s nearly devoid of body fat and brims with energy, clouted the ball out the air for the third goal and ran toward the supporters section, raising the crowd’s volume. — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2025 The recall was widely seen as a litmus test for how much clout the national conservative group can wield in non-partisan local politics. — Maritza Dominguez, AZCentral.com, 4 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for clout
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clout
  1. blow
  2. influence
  3. punch
  4. slap
  5. leverage
  6. smack
  7. thump
  8. sway
Noun
  • Now, in yet another blow to national self-esteem, the ex-head of Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, the BND, has been arrested on charges of exploiting state secrets.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The pro-Western opposition parties won big Saturday in the Czech Republic’s vote to fill one-third of the seats in Parliament’s upper house, the Senate, handing a blow to the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of blow
Noun
  • Wall Street’s role in financing the AI boom and data centers, a contentious election issue, as well as its influence on housing and other affordability challenges, is also likely to draw scrutiny, said attorneys and analysts.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Mexican pop icon will receive the accolade in recognition of an exceptional career spanning over three decades and his enduring influence on Latin music.
    — Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of influence
Verb
  • Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson’s suspension for punching a Buffalo Bills player after a game has been reduced from two games to one, an NFL spokesman said Wednesday.
    — Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • For Lee, the true measure of a man is how many other men, and women, want to punch his lights out.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of punch
Noun
  • The Wild, who have played all season without first-pair defenseman Brock Faber due to a skull fracture, lost forward Nico Sturm in the first period when he was hit on the side of the head by teammate Jared Spurgeon's slap shot.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • But, with seconds left on the clock, Patel wanted to get in one last slap shot.
    — Richie McGinniss, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of slap
Noun
  • The more balanced market gives home shoppers potentially more leverage in negotiating better terms with sellers, especially if a property has not fetched offers in weeks or months.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Leveraged basis trades have partly unwound without notable pressure in the short-term loan market but the leverage that remains is a concern.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of leverage
Verb
  • Eventually, Bird’s film — with a script co-written by Matthew Robbins — gets to the meat of the action when Venus’ extremely complicated life runs smack into Ray and his knack for sniffing out bad guys.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The Eagles also have been smacked with injuries and played without several key starters.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of smack
Noun
  • But the knock on them has been the lack of thump in their lineup.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The brutalist thump of drummer Moe Tucker renders the showmen in Led Zeppelin and the Who irrelevant.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of thump
Noun
  • Still, this vocal group may have more sway going forward if Republicans perform poorly in the midterms and AI anxiety is a factor.
    — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Blurred boundaries Measuring global functional connectivity—how much influence each patch of cortex exerts over the rest—the team found that, when participants had their eyes closed, sensory regions lost sway while associative regions gained.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of sway

Browse Nearby Words

cloudy
clout
clouted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Clout.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clout. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All