touted; touting; touts

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
Elsewhere on the earnings call, Iger touted the upcoming unification of Hulu and Disney+ into a single app sometime in 2026. Zack Sharf, Variety, 6 Aug. 2025 Thurston, a Republican, touted the state treasury's record returns of nearly $400 million in fiscal 2025 before the state Board of Finance on Tuesday. Arkansas Online, 5 Aug. 2025 The 2025 legislative session is over, with many bills already in effect, and Maryland’s leaders are touting progress on clean energy. Brian Sailer, Baltimore Sun, 5 Aug. 2025 The museum in a press release touted the instrument as being played by Keith Richards during the Stones’ debut performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, a proving ground for young bands of the day. News Desk, Artforum, 4 Aug. 2025 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 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

tout

verb
ˈtau̇t,
ˈtüt
: to make much of : promote

More from Merriam-Webster on tout

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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