I. clout 1 /klaʊt/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1900-2000 ; Origin: clout 'heavy hit' (14-21 centuries) ]
1 . [uncountable] informal power or the authority to influence other people’s decisions
political/economic etc clout
people with financial clout
the 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 informal a hard blow given with the hand:
He gave him a clout round the ear.
II. clout 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
informal to hit someone or something hard:
She clouted the boy across the face.