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
The Television Academy also touted the global reach of Prime Video, which will show the ceremony in more than 200 countries. — Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026 Automation is the source of the traffic-safety potential that the company touts. — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 After The Post reached out with questions about ZZM’s website touting its ties to the Chinese defense industry, a spokesperson for ZZM distanced the manufacturer from the defense companies, saying ZZM no longer does business with them. — Liz Goodwin, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2026 Take TikTok, which touts the personalization of its For You feed. — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 10 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

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Cite this Entry

“Tout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tout. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

tout

verb
ˈtau̇t, 
ˈtüt
: to make much of : promote
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