clout
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A blow with the fist.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
klowtIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈklaʊt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
boxing
A blow with the fist
“I gave him a clout on his nose.”
A blow with the hand.
informal
Influence or effectiveness, especially political.
baseballinformal
A home run.
A short nail with a flat head; used to attach sheet metal to wood
A clout nail.
verb
To cover with cloth, leather, or other material; to bandage, patch, or mend with a clout.
Strike hard, especially with the fist
To hit (someone or something), especially with the fist.
To join or patch clumsily.
To stud with nails, as a timber, or a boot sole.
To guard with an iron plate, as an axletree.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (boxing) a blow with the fist
Used this way, clout is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“I gave him a clout on his nose.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “clout on …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: clout on …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use clout
- “I gave him a clout on his nose.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.