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
Republicans won control of the Senate with 53 seats, but somewhat bigger Trump coattails could have flipped seats in Michigan and Wisconsin as well.
—
W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 30 Dec. 2024
But Tucci, a three-time Globes nominee, didn’t ride the film’s coattails to a fourth nod for his scene-stealing role as an outspokenly liberal cardinal.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 9 Dec. 2024
In such an unsettled race, The Substance’s Margaret Qualley could ride in on Demi Moore’s coattails.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 21 Jan. 2025
The president-elect has long berated U.S. allies for riding on the coattails of U.S. power and largesse.
—Yan Xuetong, Foreign Affairs, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for coattail 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 30 Dec. 2024
But Tucci, a three-time Globes nominee, didn’t ride the film’s coattails to a fourth nod for his scene-stealing role as an outspokenly liberal cardinal.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 9 Dec. 2024
In such an unsettled race, The Substance’s Margaret Qualley could ride in on Demi Moore’s coattails.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 21 Jan. 2025
The president-elect has long berated U.S. allies for riding on the coattails of U.S. power and largesse.
—Yan Xuetong, Foreign Affairs, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for coattail
Articles Related to coattail
Dictionary Entries Near coattail
Cite this Entry
“Coattail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coattail. Accessed 20 Feb. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share