Definition of CLOUT (original) (raw)

1

dialectal, chiefly British : a piece of cloth or leather : rag

2

: a blow especially with the hand

When she was naughty, she would get a clout from her mother.

also : a hard hit in baseball

3

: a white cloth on a stake or frame used as a target in archery

4

: pull, influence

She parlayed her box-office clout to wealth and independence—B. S. Pierre

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Old English clūt; akin to Middle High German klōz lump, Russian gluda

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of clout was before the 12th century