What does "clew" mean?
A roughly spherical mass or body.
Clew
/kluː/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A roughly spherical mass or body.
- Grammar: clew is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: clue, apprise, ball, ball of thread.
- Useful contrasts: confuse, detach, disinformation.
- Usage evidence: Their boat's sail tore near the clew.
How to use "clew"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "clew" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "clew" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "clew" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "clew" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "clew" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "clue" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "clew", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A roughly spherical mass or body. obsolete
"If the whole troupe be diuided into many clewes, or round bunches, you need not then doubt but that there are many kings."
- 2 evidence that helps to solve a problem wordnet
- 3 A ball of thread or yarn. archaic
"[O]nely ſinne And helliſh obſtinacie tye thy tongue That truth ſhould be ſuſpected, ſpeake, iſ't ſo? If it be ſo, you haue wound a goodly clewe: If it be not, forſweare't how ere I charge thee, As heauen ſhall work in me for thine auaile To tell me truelie."
- 4 a ball of yarn or cord or thread wordnet
- 5 Yarn or thread as used to guide one's way through a maze or labyrinth; a guide, a clue.
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 The lower corner(s) of a sail to which a sheet is attached for trimming the sail (adjusting its position relative to the wind); the metal loop or cringle in the corner of the sail, to which the sheet is attached. (on a triangular sail) The trailing corner relative to the wind direction.
"'Mid the rattle of blocks and the tramp of the crew, Hisses the rain of the rushing squall; The sails are aback from clew to clew, And now is the moment for "MAINSAIL, HAUL!""
- 7 The sheets so attached to a sail. in-plural
"The canvas running up in a proud sweep, Wind-wrinkled at the clews, and white like lint,"
- 8 The cords suspending a hammock. in-plural
"He taught us how to attach the clews to the ends of the hammock and then lash it between jack stays."
- 9 Obsolete spelling of clue. alt-of, obsolete
"With this clew, let us endeavour to unravel this character of Herod as here given."
Verb
- 1 to roll into a ball transitive
- 2 roll into a ball wordnet
- 3 to raise the lower corner(s) of (a sail) intransitive, transitive
Antonyms
Example
"Their boat's sail tore near the clew."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "clew"?
Common synonyms include: clue, apprise, ball, ball of thread, bind, canvas.
How do you use "clew" in a sentence?
Their boat's sail tore near the clew.
How do you pronounce "clew"?
Pronounced /kluː/.
Etymology
From Middle English clewe, from Old English cleowen, cliewen, cliwen (“sphere, ball, skein; ball of thread or yarn; mass, group”), from Proto-Germanic *kliuwiną, *klewô (“ball, bale”), from Proto-Indo-European *glew- (“to conglomerate, gather into a mass; clump, ball, bale”). Akin to Old English clǣġ (“clay”). Doublet of knawel.