Meaning & use
clouted
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“clouted” is a form of “clout”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitiveinformal
hit someone or something hard, especially with the hand or a heavy object.
Grammar: Past tense and past participle of clout. Takes an object: she clouted him on the ear.
Patterns
- clouted someone
- clouted someone on something
- clouted something
He clouted the ball over the fence and into the neighbor's garden.
She clouted him on the arm for making that joke.
verbtransitivesportinformal
achieved a strong hit or score in a game, especially in baseball or cricket.
Grammar: Used in sports reports; often with the ball: he clouted the ball for six.
Patterns
- clouted the ball
- clouted a home run
- clouted a six
The batter clouted the ball into the stands.
She clouted a six in the final over to win the match.
Word forms
| base form | clout |
|---|---|
| third person singular | clouts |
| past tense | clouted |
| past participle | clouted |
| -ing form | clouting |
Common combinations
- clouted someone on the ear
- The old man clouted the boy on the ear for stealing apples.
- clouted the ball
- He clouted the ball straight back at the bowler.
- get clouted
- If you say that again, you'll get clouted.
- clouted over the head
- The knight was clouted over the head with a wooden shield.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hit
- The general word for striking; clout is more informal and suggests a heavy blow.
- whack
- Very close in informal tone, but whack often suggests a sharp, quick blow.
- smack
- Usually a slap with an open hand, while clout can be with the fist or an object.
Opposites
Word family
- clout noun
- a hard hit, or (informally) power and influence.
- clouting noun
- the act of hitting someone or something.
Commonly confused: clouted or clouded? clouted or clotted?
clouted vs clouded
Clouded means covered with clouds or made unclear; clouted means hit. They sound similar but are different words.
clouted vs clotted
Clotted means thickened into lumps, as in clotted cream; clouted is the past tense of clout.
Practice
In a cricket report, which sentence uses clouted correctly?
Choose one answer.
Clout is transitive, so it takes a direct object: clouted the ball. The prepositions to, at, and of do not fit this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “clouted”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.