From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcloutclout1 /klaʊt/ noun 1 [uncountable] informalPOWER power or the authority to influence other people’s decisionspolitical/economic etc clout 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 informalHIT a hard blow given with the hand He gave him a clout round the ear.
Examples from the Corpus
clout• For Ure, however, special expertise is less important than the essentials of contact and clout.• That when people get clout this is how they use it.• For all its clout in Washington, no member of the Gallo family has ever gotten that close to the Oval Office.• But it has no legal clout on such issues as quality of care.• The banks do not carry quite as much clout as they used to.• How much clout does Cohen wield?• Poets, of course, seldom had that kind of clout.• Doctors have considerably more political clout than teachers.• This tactic of reference combines an admired or revered position with an effective individual to increase a less powerful person's clout.• So Menotti spelt clout - and credit.political/economic etc clout• She used legal skills and political clout to keep the wayward thrift afloat.• After years of fiscal gloom, they hope Brown will bring his political clout to the corporate realm.• Successful experiments all too often remain marginal, if they have no political clout.• The improvements that had taken place relied on the voluntary efforts of enthusiasts or political clout expended on particular initiatives.• It was Mellor's political clout, rather than his pale and interesting physique, which became 31-year-old Antonia's aphrodisiac.• The capacity to weather the storm is there provided the government has the political clout to do it.• Have they used their economic clout to exert control?• In response, the Guard is resorting to political clout to reverse the proposed reductions.cloutclout2 verb [transitive] informalHIT to hit someone or something hard She clouted the boy across the face.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
clout• Mitchell has clouted 109 home runs in the last 3 years.• Quigley clouted me smartly across the side of the head.• But Dawn Run was back alongside by the next fence only to suffer another reverse when clouting the fifth from home.From Longman Business Dictionarycloutclout /klaʊt/ noun [uncountable] the power or authority to influence other people’s decisionsAT&T and BT have sufficient market clout to win the support of wireless equipment manufacturers to help develop the technology.Origin clout1 (1900-2000) clout “heavy hit” ((14-21 centuries)) 