adj

stout

stowt

adj

Solidly built; somewhat fat.

"The stout old farmer had hands like shovels."

Brave and firm in spirit.

"She put up stout resistance against the takeover."

noun

A dark, strong beer made with roasted malt.

"He ordered a pint of stout at the pub."

How to Use Stout

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither bodily thickset, or firm and determined in spirit — and separately, a strong dark beer like Guinness.

Common mistake

Calling someone "stout" about their build is a softer, more polite word than "fat", not an insult.

Common pairings

stout defence stout resistance pint of stout

Word Forms

stouter comparative, stouted past tense, stouts plural, stouts plural, Stouts plural, stouts singular, stoutest superlative

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Can you complete this real example?

The _____ old farmer had hands like shovels.

Etymology

From Old French estout ("brave, proud"), from Frankish stolt, ultimately from a root meaning "bold, proud". The original sense was about courage; the meaning shifted to "thickset, fat" as a politer way of describing size, from around 1804.

Rhymes for stout

out tout bout gout lout pout rout about trout spout clout grout

See all rhymes for stout →