coattail

noun

the back of the skirt on a man's coat or jacket.

one of the two back parts of the skirt of a coat, especially one of the tails on a tail coat.

adjective

gained by association with another, especially with a successful or celebrated person: coattail benefits.

Idioms

on someone's coattails, aided by association with another person: The senator rode into office on the President's coattails.

on the coattails of, immediately after or as a result of: His decline in popularity followed on the coattails of the scandal.

Origin:
1590–1600; coat + tail¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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WordNet

coattail
noun
the loose back flap of a coat that hangs below the waist

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Example sentences

There's going to be a lot of people pulling at your coattail.

If wearing a coat, sit on your coattail so your jacket doesn't ride up on your neck.

Quote Of The Day

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