Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A clumsy person.
  • noun A stupid person; a dolt.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun US, pejorative A clumsy or stupid person; an oaf.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (Yiddish) a clumsy dolt

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Yiddish klots, from Middle High German kloz, block, lump, from Old High German.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From the Yiddish קלאָץ (klots, "wooden beam"), cognate with German Klotz ("block, lump").

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Examples

  • They had seen Moses come down the hill and trip with the tablets, which is when the word klutz was invented.

    Wake Up, Sir! Jonathan Ames 2004

  • Making her an absolute klutz is neither humanizing nor redeeming.

    Book Review: Twilight « Morgan Dempsey 2008

  • Making her an absolute klutz is neither humanizing nor redeeming.

    February « 2008 « Morgan Dempsey 2008

  • “Well, I wouldn’t use the word klutz,” Mrs. Everly said.

    The Good House Tananarive Due 2003

  • The young guy on the weak team looks like a real klutz, which is odd for a professional gamer who should have high hand-eye coordination.

    Gabon : Bev Vincent 2008

  • I'm known as the klutz in the family, the person without hands-on practical skills -- this is probably a function of being the baby of my generation, combined with my genuine lack of physical coordination -- so I feel good whenever I can do something useful.

    Mom's Home Susan Palwick 2007

  • I'm known as the klutz in the family, the person without hands-on practical skills -- this is probably a function of being the baby of my generation, combined with my genuine lack of physical coordination -- so I feel good whenever I can do something useful.

    Archive 2007-04-01 Susan Palwick 2007

  • Self-described "klutz" and "class clown" Melissa Birdsong wanted to be made into a beauty queen.

    MailTribune.com Latest Headlines 2009

  • Google is giving you all this free opportunity, Rupert, so if you can't make money out of it you must be some kind of klutz, right?

    The Register 2009

  • It would be like taking a klutz like me and deciding that since basketball stars make so much money, every child–including me when I was one– regardless of interest and natural ability should receive substantial coaching in basketball to even out the field.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » 1. Science, Faith, and Not Ruling Out Possibilities 2010

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