clout

CEFRC1

/klaʊt/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    Influence or power, especially in making decisions.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A blow with the hand.

Examples

  • My father has a lot of clout at city hall.

  • Unless you've done time in prison, you won't carry any clout in this crowd.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5

Also pronounced

  • [klʌʊt]

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A home run.

  2. Influence or effectiveness, especially political.

  3. The center of the butt at which archers shoot; probably once a piece of white cloth or a nail head.

More examples

In context

  • […]ethics officers themselves often complain that they can recommend but have little clout with which to create real change.

  • Having relinquished his clout in City Council to run for a place on the county board, and having lost stature by reason of his failure to win the presidency, Duffy was in no position to seek the party chairmanship for himself

  • There was a cobbler clowting shoon, / When they were mended, they were done.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Her political blank helped pass the new environmental law quickly.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English clout (“piece of cloth”), from Old English clūt (“piece of cloth, patch; metal plate”), from Proto-West Germanic *klūt, from Proto-Germanic *klūtaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gelewdos, from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to ball up, amass”). The influence sense originated in the dialect of Chicago, but has become widespread. Cognate with Old Norse klútr (“kerchief”), Swedish klut, Danish klud, Middle High German klōz (“lump”), whence German Kloß (“clump”), and dialectal Russian глуда (gluda). See also cleat.