A 'clout chaser' is someone who pursues fame, influence or attention by associating with famous people, posting controversial content, or doing whatever generates engagement — regardless of authenticity. The term is critical: it accuses someone of being inauthentic for the sake of attention. If your teen calls someone a clout chaser, they are critiquing performative behaviour. Harmless observational vocabulary; only worth attention if it gets used to dismiss legitimate online activity.
clout chaser
Someone who dates (or befriends) people primarily for proximity to fame or attention, not genuine connection.
klaʊt ˈtʃeɪ.sərDocumented since 2010s2010sGen Alphatrending412 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
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Born ~2018 · no dated citations yetDefinitions
Global
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#1·Apr 24, 2026Global
Someone who dates (or befriends) people primarily for proximity to fame or attention, not genuine connection. Spotted by their consistent pattern of relationships with progressively higher-profile partners and Instagram captions that feature location tags at every industry event.
"She goes to every industry event — 100% clout chaser."
Origin: Dating / app-era coinage, popularized on TikTok and in lifestyle journalism, 2018–2024.
For parents
A 'clout chaser' is someone who pursues fame, influence or attention by associating with famous people, posting controversial content, or doing whatever generates engagement — regardless of authenticity. The term is critical: it accuses someone of being inauthentic for the sake of attention. If your teen calls someone a clout chaser, they are critiquing performative behaviour. Harmless observational vocabulary; only worth attention if it gets used to dismiss legitimate online activity.
For ESL learners
'Clout chaser' is informal English for a person who pursues fame, influence, attention or online status by associating with famous people, posting controversial content, or engaging in performative behaviour — typically with the implication of inauthenticity. 'Clout' means social influence or status. Register: informal, critical in tone. In formal English use 'fame-seeker' or 'attention-seeker'. A common learner mistake is to confuse 'clout' with the older British dialect sense (= a heavy blow); in modern usage 'clout' means social influence.
Cluster: social_status
Heard in the wild
“Meanwhile, Lee relives the horror of a disgusting cab ride and the guys share their views on what it means to be a clout chaser on social media. [See more episodes](https://www.bbc.com/audio/series/p06gh2qr) [Programme website](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p075k1j0) * * *”
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Show 1 more dictionary-style sense (imported)
Global
#2·May 2, 2026Global
A person who attempts to gain political or social power and influence, especially through association or conflict with public figures.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Other words near "clout chaser" (C)
cloudcloud chasercloud chasingcloud rapcloud sevencloudyclouterclout listclout onClovercloverleafcloverleaf interchange
Browse all slang words starting with C.