flout
Americanverb (used with object)
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flouts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
flouted,
past participle, past
-
flouting
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
flouts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
flouted,
past participle, past
-
flouting
present participle
noun
verb
Commonly Confused
See flaunt.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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floutsimple
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floutssimple
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have floutedperfect
-
has floutedperfect
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am floutingprogressive
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are floutingprogressive
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is floutingprogressive
-
have been floutingperfect progressive
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has been floutingperfect progressive
Past
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floutedsimple
-
had floutedperfect
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was floutingprogressive
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were floutingprogressive
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had been floutingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
“We’re not trying to flout the orders of the court.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
She believes that if all the signs point to a partner-less destiny anyway, then she may as well flout the dictates of her mother and the marriage mart.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
Those are the conventions and rulings that Feiglin and others now openly flout and disregard.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
Coaches flout regulations against enticing student athletes to transfer to stack their teams with stars with little consequence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
Because the Nazis were the ones who made us have rations to begin with, and if I flout their system, then I am also flouting them.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
It flouts the single most important rule of investing, which is to make sure you are diversified; at least 60% U.S. stocks and 40% international stocks would be better.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 4, 2025
The second, equally obvious problem with the state’s argument is that it flouts the rules for holding a statute unconstitutional.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2024
She transcends her humble roots, entrances the King and flouts 18th-century Versailles protocol.
From New York Times ● May 2, 2024
“It is essential that an elected sheriff be held accountable when he flouts oversight subpoenas,” Kennedy told The Times on Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2024
Keegan’s problem is that he flouts another principle of coherence in writing, the last one we will visit in this chapter.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
The audit found that gang units citywide routinely flouted the department’s rules on pretext stops, including by often failing to obtain proper consent to search vehicles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
While leading the commission from 2017 to 2020, he advocated for individual investors and cracked down on the public sale of cryptocurrencies, which he had said flouted investor protections.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
Sentencing, Judge Huw Rees said these examinations should have been performed by qualified doctors and Eburne flouted the rules in a "brazen" manner.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
In recent years, however, the company has repeatedly flouted regulators and the legal process.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026
Some PAC prisoners, who often flouted the rules simply for the sake of doing so, spent a great deal of time in isolation.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
At one meeting, Daniel Lifschitz, a lawyer and husband of the current candidate, accused the board of flouting its bylaws in picking a vice president.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Eight cases of federal contractors flouting cybersecurity rules were settled last year, and more are expected.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
They said the focus likely will be on companies hyping AI businesses without having actual technology advantages, using overseas operations to skirt domestic regulations, or flouting Beijing’s orders against price wars.
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
A woman suspected of stalking rock star Yungblud is being sought by police after she was accused of flouting a ban on attending his concerts.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
Because the Nazis were the ones who made us have rations to begin with, and if I flout their system, then I am also flouting them.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
