1
: the rear flap of a man's coat
2
coattails plural
: the skirts of a dress coat, cutaway, or frock coat
3
coattails plural
: the influence or pulling power of a popular movement or person (such as a political candidate)
congressmen riding into office on the president's coattails
Examples of coattail in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Featuring a white collar and long coattails that trailed behind her, the look was designed by LV Men’s Creative Director Pharrell Williams, who also co-chaired the 2025 Met alongside A$AP Rocky, Colman Domingo and Lewis Hamilton.
—
Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 8 May 2025
Borisov, Norton, and Pearce are able foils to lead acting contenders, while Strong is riding the coattails of Stan’s Apprentice bid.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 21 Jan. 2025
Grasping onto the coattails of the waning mid-aughts, Simon Says failed to conjure much interest at the time.
—Jessie Schiewe, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025
This will presumably result in less coattail voting.
—Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2025
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Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 8 May 2025
Borisov, Norton, and Pearce are able foils to lead acting contenders, while Strong is riding the coattails of Stan’s Apprentice bid.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 21 Jan. 2025
Grasping onto the coattails of the waning mid-aughts, Simon Says failed to conjure much interest at the time.
—Jessie Schiewe, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025
This will presumably result in less coattail voting.
—Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coattail
Cite this Entry
“Coattail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coattail. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
coattail
noun
coat·tail
ˈkōt-ˌtāl 
1
: the rear flap of a man's coat
2
plural
: the influence of a popular movement or person
politicians riding into office on the president's coattails
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