flout

[ flout ]

/ flaʊt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flout ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to treat with disdain, scorn, or contempt; scoff at; mock: to flout the rules of propriety.

verb (used without object)

to show disdain, scorn, or contempt; scoff, mock, or gibe (often followed by at).

noun

a disdainful, scornful, or contemptuous remark or act; insult; gibe.

Nearby words

Origin of flout

1350–1400; Middle English flouten to play the flute; compare Dutch fluiten to play the flute, jeer

Related formsflout·er, nounflout·ing·ly, adverbun·flout·ed, adjective

Can be confusedflaunt flout (see usage note at flaunt)

Usage note

See flaunt.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for flout

It was a big story—indicating that Israel was continuing to flout international law to prevent Hezbollah from getting weapons.
How the Syrian War Subreddit Scoops Mainstream Media|Nina Strochlic|November 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Republicans could flout their own resentments and true believers.
Democrats Need to Stop Attacking Obama’s Budget and Wake Up to Reality|Robert Shrum|April 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He chose the country and let Alice flout contemporary morals, carousing and smoking in public.
Kate Upton’s Congressman Uncle and More Scandalous Political Ties|Ben Jacobs|February 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Conservative men were alarmed by the evident willingness of some members to flout a solemn decree of that eminent tribunal.
History of the United States|Charles A. Beard and Mary R. Beard

Mayhap she'll cry a bit, or flout the duke, or laugh at his ways.
Nancy Stair|Elinor Macartney Lane
And the new critics, who never heard Thalberg, have the impertinence to flout him, to make merry at his fantasias.
Old Fogy|James Huneker
He is prone to flout his neighbours; but later this will help him to hold his own in merry company.
The Legend of Ulenspiegel|Charles de Coster
It was as though the man were plotting with a disobedient daughter to flout him as a father.
King Spruce, A Novel|Holman Day

British Dictionary definitions for flout

flout

/ (flaʊt) /

verb

(when intr, usually foll by at) to show contempt (for); scoff or jeer (at)

Derived Formsflouter, nounfloutingly, adverb

Word Origin for flout

C16: perhaps from Middle English flouten to play the flute, from Old French flauter compare Dutch fluiten; see flute

xref

See flaunt

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for flout

flout

1550s, perhaps a special use of Middle English flowten "to play the flute" (cf. Middle Dutch fluyten "to play the flute," also "to jeer"). Related: Flouted; flouting.