tout
verb /taʊt/
/taʊt/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they tout | /taʊt/ /taʊt/ |
| he / she / it touts | /taʊts/ /taʊts/ |
| past simple touted | /ˈtaʊtɪd/ /ˈtaʊtɪd/ |
| past participle touted | /ˈtaʊtɪd/ /ˈtaʊtɪd/ |
| -ing form touting | /ˈtaʊtɪŋ/ /ˈtaʊtɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, often passive] to try to persuade people that somebody/something is important or valuable by praising them/it
- be touted (as something) She's being touted as the next leader of the party.
- Their much-touted expansion plans have come to nothing.
- [intransitive, transitive] (especially British English) to try to persuade people to buy your goods or services, especially by going to them and asking them directly
- tout (for something) the problem of unlicensed taxi drivers touting for business at airports
- tout something He's busy touting his client's latest book around London publishers.
- [transitive] (British English) (North American English scalp)tout something to sell tickets for a popular event illegally, at a price that is higher than the official price, especially outside a theatre, stadium, etc.Topics Crime and punishmentc2
Word OriginMiddle English tute ‘look out’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch tuit ‘spout, nozzle’. Later senses were ‘watch, spy on’ (late 17th cent.) and ‘solicit custom’ (mid 18th cent.). The noun was first recorded (early 18th cent.) in the slang use ‘thieves' lookout’.