flout
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Commonly Confused
See flaunt.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have floutedperfect
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is floutingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has floutedperfect 3rd person singular
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am floutingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been floutingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are floutingprogressive
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floutingparticiple
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floutssingular 3rd person
-
have been floutingperfect progressive
Past
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had floutedperfect
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had been floutingperfect progressive
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floutedparticiple
-
were floutingprogressive plural
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was floutingprogressive singular
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floutedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of flout
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English flouten “to play the flute” ( see flute); compare Dutch fluiten “to play the flute, talk smoothly, soothe, blandish, impose upon, jeer”
Explanation
To flout is to scorn or show contempt for. "I flout the law and the concept of civilian safety by making a concerted effort to jaywalk every time I cross a street." Oddly enough, when flout came into existence in the 1550s, it had a much different sense to it than it does now; it's believed that it evolved from the Middle English flowten, “to play the flute." These days, the verb flout means "to scorn," as in to scorn a law, person, or social norm by defying it. As a noun, it is a contemptuous remark or insult. Wrote William Shakespeare, “Flout 'em, and scout 'em; and scout 'em and flout 'em; Thought is free.”
Vocabulary lists containing flout
Much Ado About Nothing
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "E" and "F"
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The Tempest
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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.
Drivers who flout the rules can be fined $490, according to Caltrans, the body that operates the state's freeways.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
Benson Zimba, a Zambian environmental activist, said a soft approach by the government toward Sino-Metals risks emboldening Chinese mining companies to flout environmental laws.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
Riders who flout rules are warned and sometimes fined, they say, with repeat offenders banned.
From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026
But never before have so many Iranians been willing to flout the Islamic Republic’s social rules at the same time, say residents and analysts.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 27, 2025
Do careful writers who inadvertently flout the rule agree, when the breach is pointed out, that something has gone wrong?
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
