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The word clue was originally a variant spelling of clew, meaning “ball of thread or yarn.” Our modern sense of clue, “guide to the solution of a mystery,” grows out of a motif in myth and folklore, the ball of thread that helps in finding one’s way out of a maze. Of these stories the best known is the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. In the myth, Theseus unravels a ball of thread as he searches for the monstrous Minotaur in the Labyrinth. After killing the Minotaur, he retraces his steps out of the maze by rewinding the thread.
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Examples of clue in a Sentence
Jodie Cook, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
The observations recorded by Hubble yield new clues about the history of Andromeda, which looks markedly different from our own galaxy's history, according to NASA.
—Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2025
Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Jan. 2025
From opening presents to wearing outfits to sharing updates, celebrities are clueing us into snapshots of their lives right now.
—David Oliver, USA TODAY, 25 Dec. 2024
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“Clue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clue. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
clue
1 of 2 nounclue
2 of 2 verb
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