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
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
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Recent Examples of clout
Bloomberg, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
Besides commercial success, Bollywood has enormous cultural clout, shaping social norms, defining pop cultures and creating stars revered not only India but in the diaspora worldwide.
—Taran Khan, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
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
Noun
In June, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte signaled support for factoring crypto held on regulated exchanges into mortgage risk assessments — the process lenders use to determine whether a borrower has the financial clout to make good on their debt.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
Besides commercial success, Bollywood has enormous cultural clout, shaping social norms, defining pop cultures and creating stars revered not only India but in the diaspora worldwide.
—Taran Khan, The Dial, 24 Mar. 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
Noun
-
Trump’s handling of his war on Iran—attacking without consultation, expecting unwavering support, forcing higher prices on others—has dealt another blow to these relationships.—
Idrees Kahloon,
The Atlantic,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Southeast Asian officials said such an outcome would deal a significant blow to US credibility in keeping sea lanes open.—
Gerry Doyle,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Besler is part of the montage of key influences and reflections of the growth of the game here — a point nicely made by Tocco as Besler was heading to Brazil in 2014.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Your influence expands when Mars in your dramatic 8th house sextiles radical Uranus in your power-hungry 10th house.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The pair were arguing when the passenger punched the victim in the face, splitting his lip, cops said.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Before the game, Sabres fans were in the parking lot taking turns punching a dummy with Hagel’s face taped on it.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The bearded blueliner has skated through the bumps and bruises that come with delivering checks and deflecting slap shots.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
That’s how Larry Graham came up with slap bass.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
As a result, developers can offer localized payment experiences without having to navigate region-specific rules or leverage complex third-party infrastructure.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Making do Stammen had to navigate 6⅓ innings of a close game with one of his high-leverage relievers down.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But that came with a whole different kind of pressure, one that didn’t feed into Hurley’s psyche as the chronic Dom Quixote in search of another windmill to smack around.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2026
-
During that time, the moon will appear mostly dark, which will give the astronauts a chance to observe the sun’s corona and look for flashes of light from rocky objects smacking into the moon.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Moments later, a bass thump sounded in the distance.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The experimental jet, part of NASA’s Quesst mission, is designed to fly faster than the speed of sound while producing only a soft sonic thump instead of a disruptive boom.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
We’re meant to see that Rochester is under the sway of giant companies such as Xerox, where Sam works and begins to form a secret life, but that culture doesn’t really register in the novel.—
Chris Hewitt,
Boston Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The plaintiffs further contend that USASF and other cheerleading bodies under Varsity’s sway awarded bids to all-star championship events in ways that reinforced Varsity’s market dominance and stifled competition.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clout.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clout. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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