💼 Power or influence 👊 A hard hit 👊 To hit hard 💼 To influence 🏹 Archery target 🔩 A short nail

to clout

1 7.4

To hit someone or something hard with the fist

verb
/klaʊt/

Informal

: dar un puñetazo

Look, Pat, you saved my life... and I'm sorry I had to clout you.

Examples

"Erik looked as if he would clout his brother, but he didn't."

Fiction book (1994)
ANGLE ON BELLA AS HE TAKES OUT HIS PISTOL AND CLOUTS THE DISTRACTED MOORE.

Fiction book (2001)
Moore takes a small baton from his belt and clouts the pilot and then the copilot with it. Blane moves up to him, takes a roll of gaff tape from his belt, and begins binding the two men to their seats, first gagging them with the tape.

Fiction book (2001)
He threatened to clout the bully if he didn't leave him alone.
During the argument, she raised her fist to clout him, but she thought better of it.
The coach warned the players not to clout each other during practice.

Synonyms

to strike

vsto clout

553 2.4

To hit someone or something with force

is specifically a hard blow often associated with a closed fist rather than any contact

to punch

vsto clout

455 1.4

To hit someone or something quickly with a closed fist

is a hard strike not focused on speed but on blunt force

to smack

vsto clout

164 3.5

To hit someone or something with an open hand

uses a closed fist strike rather than an open-handed sharp blow

to bash

vsto clout

NSFW

73 2.9

To hit someone or something very hard

is a hard strike but may not stress potential heavy damage as much

to box

vsto clout

47 2.0

To fight another person using the fists, often as a sport

is a hard single strike rather than an arranged sporting fight with rules

to pummel

vsto clout

46 6.7

Hit something many times, usually with your fists

is a hard blow that is often single rather than a repeated assault

to nail

vsto clout

39 4.3

To hit something with great force, often in sport

is a hard strike without the specific sports or activity context

to bludgeon

vsto clout

NSFW

23 8.8

To hit someone repeatedly with a heavy stick or club

is a single hard fist strike rather than repeated heavy weapon blows

to clobber

vsto clout

NSFW

19 7.7

To hit someone or something very hard many times

is a hard strike that may be single not a repeated pounding

to smite

vsto clout

Archaic

13 9.8

Hit a person or thing with a heavy blow

focuses more narrowly on a fist strike rather than many possible weapons

to belt

vsto clout

Informal

11 6.0

To hit with a lot of force, often using the arm or an object

focuses specifically on using a fist rather than any object

to slug

vsto clout

Informal

10 4.6

To hit someone or something very hard, often with the fist

is a hard strike that may be strong but not described as extreme

to club

vsto clout

8 5.1

To hit someone or something hard with a heavy stick

is usually a hand strike rather than an attack using a heavy stick

to thrash

vsto clout

NSFW

7 6.5

Hit someone hard, often as punishment or in a fight

is a single hard strike not necessarily a repeated beating or punishment

to plug

vsto clout

NSFW

4 7.7

To hit someone or something with a quick strong blow

is a hard strike that is not necessarily quick focusing on force

to strike hard

vsto clout

3 3.7

Hit someone or something very hard

is a hard strike that emphasizes blunt force rather than sharpness

to wallop

vsto clout

Informal

2 7.3

To hit something or someone very hard

is a hard blow that may be less intensely described than very hard

to swack

vsto clout

Archaic

1 9.9

To hit someone or something hard

focuses more on using a fist adding instrument detail rather than general force

to whomp

vsto clout

Informal

1 8.6

To hit forcefully with the hand or a flat object

typically uses a closed fist rather than an open hand or flat object

to pommel

vsto clout

NSFW

1 9.3

To hit someone or something again and again with your fists

is a hard single strike instead of a repeated series of hits

to slog

vsto clout

7.0

To hit someone or something very hard, for example with a fist

is a hard strike usually named for fist use rather than tools

to give a whap

vsto clout

Informal

8.8

To hit something quickly with a short, sharp blow

is a hard strike that may not emphasize the resulting sound

to whang

vsto clout

Informal

9.9

To hit something hard so it makes a loud sound

is a hard blow that is described by force rather than by loudness

Antonyms

to pat

110 1.0

To touch gently to show comfort or approval

to caress

55 3.4

To touch someone or something gently to show love

Compounds

car clout

8.6

Social status you get from the kind of car you own

clout goblin

Offensive

9.9

A person who tries to get online attention by acting fake

clout list

Jargon

7.6

A list of people who have a lot of influence

clout nail

8.4

A short nail with a large flat head to fasten thin metal to wood

How Hard

to knock out

NSFW

210 4.3

to smash

311 2.1

to clout

Informal

1 7.4

to strike

553 2.4

to hit

∞ 1.0

to tap

174 1.0

Surface Forms

clout infinitive

clouted past

clouted past participle

clouting present participle

clouts third person singular

Etymology

Clout as a verb means to strike someone hard and comes from the same idea as the noun 'clout' for a blow, so to clout someone is simply to give them a strong knock.