clout

noun

/klaʊt/

[uncountable] power and influence影响力；势力
- political/financial clout政治／经济势力
- I knew his opinion carried a lot of clout with them.我知道他的观点对他们很有影响力。
Extra Examples
- The companies used their clout to influence policy.公司运用自身的影响力来左右政策。
- This movie is an opportunity to increase his clout in Hollywood.这部电影是提升他在好莱坞影响力的一个机会。
- a politician with enormous clout有巨大影响力的从政者
- the growing political clout of the army军队日益增长的政治影响力
- The government cannot ignore the growing political clout of the security forces.政府不能忽视安全部队日益增长的政治影响力。
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- considerable
- enormous
- economic
- …
verb + clout
- carry
- have
- wield
- …
[countable, usually singular] (especially British English, informal) a hard hit with the hand or a hard object（用手或硬物的）击，打
- You’re not too big for a clout round the ear!你还不算大，无法对耳朵施加影响！

Word OriginOld English clūt (in the sense ‘a patch or metal plate’); related to Dutch kluit ‘lump, clod’, also to cleat and clot. The shift of sense to ‘heavy blow’, which dates from late Middle English, is difficult to explain; possibly the change occurred first in the verb (from ‘put a patch on’ to ‘hit hard’).

clout

verb

/klaʊt/

(especially British English, informal)

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they clout	/klaʊt/ /klaʊt/
he / she / it clouts	/klaʊts/ /klaʊts/
past simple clouted	/ˈklaʊtɪd/ /ˈklaʊtɪd/
past participle clouted	/ˈklaʊtɪd/ /ˈklaʊtɪd/
-ing form clouting	/ˈklaʊtɪŋ/ /ˈklaʊtɪŋ/

clout somebody to hit somebody hard, especially with your hand（尤指用手）猛击，重打
- He started to clout me round the head, yelling at the top of his voice.他开始用拳头打我的头，大声喊叫。
- Something clouted me on the left shoulder.有什么东西撞到了我的左肩。
Word OriginOld English clūt (in the sense ‘a patch or metal plate’); related to Dutch kluit ‘lump, clod’, also to cleat and clot. The shift of sense to ‘heavy blow’, which dates from late Middle English, is difficult to explain; possibly the change occurred first in the verb (from ‘put a patch on’ to ‘hit hard’).