coattail

noun

coat·​tail ˈkōt-ˌtāl 

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

Again, this is not an argument for getting rid of tax sales or any enforcement mechanisms because then a lot of folks who are bad actors would be able to really ride the coattails of what would be a cause of protecting those most vulnerable. —Tax Notes Staff, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025

Whereas Johnson first entered the House, in 2016, on Trump’s coattails, Thune is a Republican of the Reagan-Bush vintage, first elected to the Senate, from South Dakota, in 2004. —David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025

Right now the Trump administration is riding on the coattails of the Biden Administration’s strong economy, which averaged about 3.6% GDP growth from 2021 through 2024. —Sergei Klebnikov, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025

But the promotion of the episode is certainly riding the coattails of the drama, which has been dominating headlines since Lively’s initial complaint. —Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 8 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for coattail

• airmail
• assail
• avail
• bewail
• blackmail
• cattail
• cocktail
• curtail
• derail
• detail
• dovetail
• email

Kids 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