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DictionarycloutInfluence
noun / verb

clout

CLOUT/klaʊt/

A forceful blow or impact.

The older woman delivers a powerful clout that drives the punching bag sideways.

An older woman delivers a forceful boxing punch to a heavy bag, visibly denting it and driving it sideways: a concrete depiction of the frozen definition's 'hard hit' alternative.
Etymology
cloutOld Englishlump; patch of cloth

From a word for a lump or cloth patch, clout developed the sense of striking, perhaps through hitting with a lump or through patching. A hard blow then supplied the image of force behind personal influence.

In context

Betsy Rosenberg | CODE GREEN4:43
Trump derives power from these people from their money, from their influence, from their economic clout
Fighting Trump's Climate Rollbacks & Building Bridges | CODE GREEN Interview with Fred Hewett

More examples

  • He accidentally clouted his head on the low beam.
  • The batter clouts the ball over the fence.
  • A clout to the jaw knocked the boxer down.

Forms

clout · clouts · clouted · clouting

Similar words

blow
A more neutral term for a forceful physical impact.
hit
Covers striking with any degree of force, including light contact.