the.com/clout
social currency you can't spend, can't bank, and can lose in a single tweet.
means Influence or power — the kind that lets you sway people, get things done, or open doors others can't.
from From Old English 'clut,' meaning a patch, lump, or rag of cloth or metal. From there it grew into a verb meaning to hit or strike — a 'clout' was a heavy blow (still heard in 'clout someone round the ear'). The modern sense of influence likely springs from that punch: someone with clout hits hard, lands an impact, throws their weight around. The figurative leap from a physical wallop to political and social muscle took firm hold in 20th-century American usage.
- old meaning
- Originally meant a heavy physical blow or whack.
- Scottish roots
- Once meant a piece of cloth or rag.
- chasing it
- 'Clout-chasing' entered Merriam-Webster's watch list in 2019.
- measurable
- Klout scored your online influence until it died in 2018.
elon musk twitter takeover — purchased twitter for $44 billion in 2022 and unilaterally changed platform policies
oprah winfrey media empire — built multi-billion dollar business and influenced consumer choices through book club picks and endorsements
andrew tate arrest 2023 — internet influencer arrested in romania on human trafficking charges after massive social media following