clout1 nounclout2 verb
cloutclout1 /klaʊt/ noun 
WORD ORIGINclout1
Origin:
1900-2000 clout ‘heavy hit’ (14-21 centuries)EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Doctors have considerably more political clout than teachers.
- The banks do not carry quite as much clout as they used to.
- But it has no legal clout on such issues as quality of care.
- For all its clout in Washington, no member of the Gallo family has ever gotten that close to the Oval Office.
- For Ure, however, special expertise is less important than the essentials of contact and clout.
- How much clout does Cohen wield?
- Poets, of course, seldom had that kind of clout.
- So Menotti spelt clout - and credit.
- That when people get clout this is how they use it.
- This tactic of reference combines an admired or revered position with an effective individual to increase a less powerful person's clout.
Longman Language Activatorthe ability to control people and events
the ability or the right to control other people and make decisions that affect them: · Do you think the police have too much power?· He was motivated by greed, envy, and the lust for power.great/enormous power: · the enormous economic power of the United Statespower over: · The big Hollywood studios have a lot of power over what kind of films get made.have the power to do something: · Only Parliament has the power to make new laws.a power struggle (=a situation in which groups or leaders try to defeat each other and get complete control): · A power struggle developed between the president and the generals.
if someone has influence , they can use their important social position or their wealth to persuade other people to do things: influence in: · The Catholic Church has always had a lot of influence in Polish politics.influence over: · The banks had too much influence over government policy.somebody's influence with somebody (=someone's ability to persuade someone else to do things): · Using her influence with her husband, Evita Peron won women the right to vote.
the right to make decisions and control people, which a person has because of their job or official position: · No one dared to question the principal's authority.authority over: · In the British system, the mayor has no authority over the local police.have the authority to do something: · The King had the authority to raise taxes without the permission of parliament.
the right to give your opinion about a decision, so that you have some power to influence it: · If we're going to undertake such a big project, the voters should have a say.have a say in: · By giving the workers a greater say in the running of the company, we hope to increase cooperation and job satisfaction. have the final say (=have the power to make the final decision): · The Prisoner Review Board can recommend that a prisoner is released, but Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar has the final say.
power that someone has because of their money, political position, or strength, and which makes it possible for them to do things that other people or organizations cannot do: · The government has for years been trying to destroy the muscle of the trade unions.have the muscle to do something: · Hanson Trust has the muscle to buy up some of America's biggest companies.financial/political muscle: · The Republicans do not have the political muscle to prevent the treaty being rejected by Congress.
informal the power that you have to influence other people's decisions, especially because you can use your position or your knowledge to persuade people in authority to do what you want: have/carry clout: · The banks do not carry quite as much clout as they used to.political/financial etc clout: · Doctors have considerably more political clout than teachers.
the power that a government, court, or organization has to make laws or to decide whether people are breaking the law - use this especially when you talk about the limits of this power: · In general, the American courts have no jurisdiction to deal with crimes outside the USA.· The Air Transit Authority's jurisdiction extends beyond the airport itself to include warehouses and associated buildings.jurisdiction over: · The council has no jurisdiction over these matters.be within/under somebody's jurisdiction: · It's not within our jurisdiction to tell people what to do in the privacy of their own homes.be outside somebody's jurisdiction: · The courts said the claim raised "political questions" that were outside its jurisdiction.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
people with financial clout Few companies have the clout to handle such large deals. An official protest could carry considerable clout. He gave him a clout round the ear.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
1[uncountable] informal power or the authority to influence other people’s decisionspolitical/economic etc clout people with financial clout Few companies have the clout to handle such large deals. An official protest could carry considerable clout. He gave him a clout round the ear.· Have they used their economic clout to exert control?· At local level, control exerted by NGOs varies widely, depending on their philosophy, their economic clout, and individual personalities.
· It's financial clout that counts or, failing that, kicking up a stink.· Always vulnerable because they lack financial clout, lower income families are an easy target.· Then they didn't have enough financial clout to tempt Stuart Pearce from Nottingham Forest.· Politicians in the centre worried that the extra financial clout of the provinces could encourage separatists.· Arsenal are sure to monitor developments, but can obviously not match Seville's financial clout.
· The capacity to weather the storm is there provided the government has the political clout to do it.· In response, the Guard is resorting to political clout to reverse the proposed reductions.· The improvements that had taken place relied on the voluntary efforts of enthusiasts or political clout expended on particular initiatives.· After years of fiscal gloom, they hope Brown will bring his political clout to the corporate realm.· It was Mellor's political clout, rather than his pale and interesting physique, which became 31-year-old Antonia's aphrodisiac.· Successful experiments all too often remain marginal, if they have no political clout.· The political clout of the primary education sector in the struggle for resources is clearly limited.· She used legal skills and political clout to keep the wayward thrift afloat.
VERB· You may not know him, but he carries considerable clout.
· Lendoiro secured a loan to wipe out the club's debts and give the club some clout in the transfer market.· Sometimes we had nothing to say, love had given us such a clout.· I gave her a clout and shoved her over to the big door and went and got back in the car.· And the know-how side is given the real clout when it comes to authority.
· Have they used their economic clout to exert control?
people with financial cloutthe clout to do something Few companies have the clout to handle such large deals. An official protest could carry considerable clout.2[countable] British English informal a hard blow given with the hand: He gave him a clout round the ear.clout1 nounclout2 verb
cloutclout2 verb [transitive] informal to hit someone or something hard: She clouted the boy across the face.