Tout

/taʊt/ · noun

Meaning

Someone advertising for customers in an aggressive way..

Definitions by Sense

1. Someone advertising for customers in an aggressive way.
2. A person at a racecourse who offers supposedly inside information on which horse is likely to win.
3. (colloquial) An informer in the Irish Republican Army.
4. (colloquial, archaic) A spy for a smuggler, thief, or the like.
5. (transitive) To flaunt, to publicize/publicise; to boast or brag about; to promote.
6. (UK, slang, horse-racing, transitive) To spy out information about (a horse, a racing stable, etc.).
7. (US, slang, horse-racing, transitive) To give a tip on (a racehorse) to a person, with the expectation of sharing in any winnings.
8. (UK, slang, horse-racing, intransitive) 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.

Example Sentences

Be careful of the ticket touts outside the arena; they are famed for selling counterfeits.

Paul Muniment looked at his young friend a moment. 'Do you want to know what he is? He's a tout.' 'A tout? What do you mean?' 'Well, a cat's-paw, if you like better.'

Damn, he's a tout.

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.

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.

Mary has been touted as a potential successor to the current CEO.

China has touted its policy of non-interference for decades.

For the 75 years since a district rebellion was put down, The Games have existed as an assertion of the Capital’s power, a winner-take-all contest that touts heroism and sacrifice—participants are called “tributes”— while pitting the districts against each other.

Synonyms for tout

Antonyms for tout

Related Words

Word Forms

• touts
• touting
• touted

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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