touted; touting; touts
Synonyms of tout

transitive verb

1
: to make much of : promote, talk up
touted as the summer's blockbuster movie
the college's much touted women's studies program
2
: to solicit, peddle, or persuade importunately
… not meant to tout you off the movie.—Russell Baker
3
: to spy on : watch
4
a
British : to spy out information about (a racing stable, a horse, etc.)
b
: to give a tip or solicit bets on (a racehorse)

intransitive verb

1
: to solicit patronage
2
a
chiefly British : to spy on racehorses in training to gain information for betting
b
: to give a tip or solicit bets on a racehorse

tout

2 of 2

noun

: one who touts: such as
a
: one who solicits patronage
b
chiefly British : one who spies out racing information for betting purposes
c
: one who gives tips or solicits bets on a racehorse

Examples of tout in a Sentence

Verb The company is running advertisements touting the drug's effectiveness. The company's stock is being touted by many financial advisers. People were touting tickets outside the stadium. People were touting outside the stadium.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Verb
State officials tout the project as a bucket-list destination and massive restoration effort, but a CEQA exemption has spurred concern among tribes and environmentalists. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026 Peptide enthusiasts also tout laboratory studies, such as a particular peptide stimulating blood vessel growth. — Amy Maxmen, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026 Paxton has contrasted himself and Talarico from the campaign trail — describing the Democrat as radical — and touts his work as attorney general, including battling big government and big corporations. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Oct. 2026 Unlike streaming metrics, which can be twisted and touted in any which way, box office dollars are uniformly reported — meaning there’s no denying a hit (or a miss). — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 18 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tout

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English tuten to protrude, peer; probably akin to Old English tōtian to stick out, Norwegian tyte

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1700, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Noun

1853, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tout was circa 1700

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tout. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

tout

verb
ˈtau̇t, 
ˈtüt
: to make much of : promote
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