What does "stout" mean?
A dark and strong malt brew made with toasted grain.
Stout
/staʊt/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A dark and strong malt brew made with toasted grain.
- Grammar: stout is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: adamantine, adipose, athletic, beefy.
- Useful contrasts: rickety, bony, delgado.
- Usage evidence: He looked small beside my father's stout body.
How to use "stout"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stout" 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 "stout" 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 "stout" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stout" 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 "stout" is acting as adj, name, 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 "adamantine" 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 "stout", 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 dark and strong malt brew made with toasted grain.
"Stout is darker, stronger and sweeter than porter beer."
- 2 Gnat.
- 3 a garment size for a large or heavy person wordnet
- 4 A serving of this beer.
- 5 Gadfly.
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 a strong very dark heavy-bodied ale made from pale malt and roasted unmalted barley and (often) caramel malt with hops wordnet
- 7 An obese person.
"Incidentally the survey pointed up the sad plight of the stylish stouts, today's “forgotten men.” The clothing situation is getting so critical for them that they may have to choose between eating and dressing."
- 8 Firefly or miller (moth). dialectal
- 9 A large clothing size.
"1918, Isidor Rosenfeld, The Practical Designer for Women's and Misses' Underwear - The Study of the Stout Form The all-around waist is increased or over-built, according to size, which makes this form a stout."
Verb
- 1 To be bold or defiant. archaic, intransitive
- 2 To persist, endure. dialectal, transitive
Adjective
- 1 Large; bulky.
"Yossarian walked out of the office and down the stairs into the dark, tomblike street, passing in the hall the stout woman with warts and two chins, who was already on her way back in."
- 2 Bold, strong-minded. obsolete
"Art thou but Captaine of a thouſand horſe, That by Characters grauen in thy browes, And by thy martiall face and ſtout aſpect, Deſeru’ſt to haue the leading of an hoſte?"
- 3 Proud; haughty. obsolete
"Your words have been stout against me."
- 4 Firm; resolute; dauntless.
"he had reason to be extremely grateful to Sterling, his Manchester City teammate, who won and converted the penalty that appeared to have broken Iceland’s stout resistance."
- 5 Materially strong, enduring.
"Campers prefer stout vessels, sticks and cloth."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Obstinate.
Adjective
- 1 euphemisms for ‘fat’ wordnet
- 2 dependable wordnet
- 3 having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 A former town in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. countable, uncountable
- 3 A minor city in Grundy County, Iowa, United States. countable, uncountable
- 4 Synonym of Rome, Adams County, Ohio. countable, uncountable
Example
"He looked small beside my father's stout body."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "stout"?
Common synonyms include: adamantine, adipose, athletic, beefy, big, big-bellied.
How do you use "stout" in a sentence?
He looked small beside my father's stout body.
How do you pronounce "stout"?
Pronounced /staʊt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English stoute, from Old French estout (“brave, fierce, proud”) (Modern French dialectal stout (“proud”)), from earlier Old French estolt (“strong”), from Frankish *stolt, *stult (“bold, proud”), from Proto-Germanic *stultaz (“bold, proud”), from Proto-Indo-European *stel- (“to put, stand”). Cognate with Dutch stout (“stout, bold, naughty”), Low German stolt (“stately, proud”), German stolz (“proud, haughty, arrogant, stately”), Old Norse stoltr (“proud”) (Danish stolt (“proud”), Icelandic stoltur (“proud”)). Meaning "strong in body, powerfully built" is attested from First attested in c. 1386, but has been to a large extent displaced by the euphemistic meaning "thick-bodied, fat and large," which is first recorded 1804. Original sense preserved in stout-hearted (1552). The noun "strong, dark-brown beer" is first recorded 1677, from the adjective.
Etymology 2
From Middle English stouten, from the adjective (see above).
Etymology 3
From Middle English stout, from Old English stūt (“gnat; midge”).