tout
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tout¹
- /taʊt/
- /tʌʊt/ Canada
Rhymes with -aʊt
Where it comes from
From Middle English touten (“to jut out, protrude, gaze upon, observe, peer”), from Old English *tūtian (“to be sticking out, protrude”), related to Old English tȳtan (“to stand out, be conspicuous, shine”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *tut(t)- (“to stick out, project”). Compare Icelandic túta (“a teat-like prominence”), tútna (“to be blown up”). Possibly influenced by dialectal toot (“to stick out; project; peer out; peep”), from Middle English toten, totien, from Old English tōtian (“to peep out; look; pry; spectate”). Compare also Old English tot, ġetot (“pomp, splendour, vainglory”).
noun touts
- Someone advertising for customers in an aggressive way. Be careful of the ticket touts outside the arena; they are famed for selling counterfeits.
- A person at a racecourse who offers supposedly inside information on which horse is likely to win. No one, however, would have anything to do with him, as Mr. Keeson's orders in those respects were very strict ; he had often threatened any one of his employés with instant dismissal if he found him in company with one of these touts.
- An informer in the Irish Republican Army. The Derry Brigade of the IRA thought it had got rid of its informer problem when earlier that year it executed Paddy Flood as a tout, after holding him for six weeks.
- A spy for a smuggler, thief, or the like.
verb touts · touting · touted
- To flaunt, to publicize/publicise; to boast or brag about; to promote. Mary has been touted as a potential successor to the current CEO.
- To spy out information about (a horse, a racing stable, etc.).
- To give a tip on (a racehorse) to a person, with the expectation of sharing in any winnings.
- To spy out the movements of racehorses at their trials, or to get by stealth or other improper means the secrets of the stable, for betting purposes.
- To act as a tout; to give a tip on a racehorse.
- To look for, try to obtain; used with for. To understand the new London, I lived it. I slept rough with Roma beggars and touted for work with Baltic laborers on the kerb.
- To look upon or watch. Nor durst Orcanes view the Soldan's face, / But still upon the floor did pore and tout.
tout²
Where it comes from
Probably from French tout (“all”).
noun
- In the game of solo, a proposal to win all eight tricks.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: hawker, huckster, bluster, brag, vaunt, boast, gasconade, blow, tipster, swash, gas, cheap-jack, peddle, solicit, spread, propagate
Translations
Every language
noun someone advertising for customers in an aggressive way
| Español | gancho |
|---|---|
| Français | racoleur, vendeur ambulant, rabatteur, pronostiqueur |
| Deutsch | Schlepperin, Marktschreier |
| Italiano | strillone, imbonitore |
| Русский | зазывала zazyvala |
verb To flaunt, publicize/publicise, boast or brag about, promote
| Español | ofrecer, publicitar, presumir, promocionar, propagandear |
|---|---|
| Français | racoler |
| Deutsch | aufdringlich ankündigen, werben für, aufdrängen |
| Italiano | pubblicizzare, propagandare, sbandierare |
| Română | racola |
| Русский | навязывать navjazyvatʹ, расхваливать rasxvalivatʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | công bố |
Talk about this word "tout." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/tout. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. tout. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/tout "tout." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/tout.Cite this
@misc{tout_2026,
title = {tout},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/tout},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
