vaunt
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
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(tr) to describe, praise, or display (one's success, possessions, etc) boastfully
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rare (intr) to use boastful language; brag
noun
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a boast
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archaic ostentatious display
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has vauntedperfect 3rd person singular
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have vauntedperfect
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have been vauntingperfect progressive
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are vauntingprogressive
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am vauntingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been vauntingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is vauntingprogressive 3rd person singular
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vauntingparticiple
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vauntssingular 3rd person
Past
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had vauntedperfect
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was vauntingprogressive singular
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vauntedsimple
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vauntedparticiple
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were vauntingprogressive plural
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had been vauntingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of vaunt
1350–1400; Middle English vaunten < Middle French vanter to boast < Late Latin vānitāre, frequentative of *vānāre, derivative of Latin vānus vain. See vanity
Explanation
To vaunt is to brag and boast and flaunt and go on and on about how great something is. It's over-the-top showing off, and when you exaggerate your greatness, you vaunt to the point of no longer seeming so great. From the Latin vānitāre — which comes from vānus, meaning "vain" or "empty" — vaunt is a verb for taking praise too far or talking something up too much. Even if it's earned or deserved bragging, vaunting about something gets old and loses its impact. Other times, vaunt, as a noun, is a sure sign that a hard sell is going on — someone is talking big but can't deliver.
Vocabulary lists containing vaunt
Julius Caesar
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The Odyssey
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This Week in Words: May 5 - 11, 2018
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 2018, Intel shut down the Vaunt project, before selling many of its patents to North, the start-up acquired by Google.
From New York Times • Dec. 30, 2021
Intel’s augmented reality project produced a prototype, Vaunt, which was tested with consumers.
From New York Times • Dec. 30, 2021
It was always unclear how precisely Intel intended to bring the Vaunt glasses to market, though sources indicated that Intel wanted to find a partner with retail expertise to partner with.
From The Verge • Apr. 18, 2018
Since it’s not made by Apple or Google, Vaunt is going to need to find a way to succeed where other third-party wearables could not.
From The Verge • Feb. 5, 2018
Vaunt not, fair Heavens, of your two glorious lights,
From The Lure of the Camera by Olcott, Charles S.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
