What does cleat mean?
A cleat is a fastening device — typically a T- or horn-shaped fitting made of metal, wood, or plastic — around which a rope can be wrapped to hold something firmly in place. Most familiar aboard boats and along docks, where mooring lines are tied off to them, cleats also appear in climbing gyms, workshops, and construction, where a cleat may be a strip of wood or metal used to brace, support, or anchor other components. In everyday usage, the plural form carries a very different meaning: cleats are the studded or spiked attachments on the soles of athletic shoes worn for soccer, football, baseball, and lacrosse, giving players grip on grass or turf, and by extension the word refers to those shoes themselves. The term derives from Middle English and is ultimately related to words like 'clot,' reflecting its original sense of a solid lump or wedge. Practical, unglamorous, and essential wherever ropes meet decks or athletes meet slick ground, the cleat is one of those small pieces of hardware that quietly does its job everywhere from marinas to stadiums.
A fitting, typically shaped like a T or a pair of horns, attached to a surface such as a boat's deck, a dock, or a wall, around which a rope or line is wrapped to secure it.
"The sailor threw the bow line ashore, and a hand on the dock caught it and slipped it over the cleat."
A wedge, ridge, or strip of wood, metal, or rubber used to fasten, reinforce, or keep something from slipping.
"The shelves were mounted on wall cleats so they could be lifted off without tools."
Usually in the plural: one of the studs or spikes fixed to the sole of an athletic shoe to give grip on grass or soft ground, or the shoe itself.
"New cleats made all the difference on the muddy outfield."
To secure or fasten with a cleat, especially to make fast a rope by winding it around a cleat.
"Cleat the halyard off once you've hoisted the sail."
The plural 'cleats' most often refers to athletic footwear fitted with studs or spikes, though it can simply mean more than one fastening cleat.
"Make sure your cleats are approved for the league before the first match."
The word cleating your soccer shoes comes from the same ancient Germanic root as 'clot' — centuries ago, a cleat was just a wooden wedge holding things together.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cleat
Cleat comes from Middle English 'clete,' first recorded in the late medieval period, likely borrowed from or cognate with Middle Low German or Middle Dutch forms. It traces back to the Proto-Germanic root behind words such as 'clot' and 'clout,' whose core sense was a lump, mass, or wedge of solid material. The original meaning was a wedge or block of wood used to secure or fasten, which broadened over time into the rope-fitting and stud-on-a-shoe senses known today.
Related word forms
How cleat is actually used
In everyday speech, 'cleats' almost always refers to athletic footwear with studs (especially American football and soccer), so context usually disambiguates from the nautical and construction senses. The nautical sense is common among sailors and boaters; the carpentry sense (a strip of wood fixed across another to hang or support objects) is more technical.
Easily confused with cleat
Cleave means to split or adhere to something, while cleat is a physical device used for fastening or gripping.