flout
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
-
floutsimple
-
floutssimple
-
have floutedperfect
-
has floutedperfect
-
am floutingprogressive
-
are floutingprogressive
-
is floutingprogressive
-
have been floutingperfect progressive
-
has been floutingperfect progressive
Past
-
floutedsimple
-
had floutedperfect
-
was floutingprogressive
-
were floutingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
30 GRE Words Beginning with "E" and "F"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Tempest
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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
Maybe because it's another way to flout the rules.
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
A publication that flouts those rules risks being held “in contempt of court,” which can be punished with a fine or prison sentence.
From New York Times ● May 16, 2024
In the lawsuit, however, the executives accused Mr Musk of turning the company into an entity that flouts the law and does not pay its debts.
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 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
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
In recent years, however, the company has repeatedly flouted regulators and the legal process.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026
North Korea is subject to multiple United Nations sanctions banning its nuclear weapons development and use of ballistic missile technology, restrictions it has repeatedly flouted.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
The situation prompted an overhaul of voting procedures for this year's event, and Green added that anyone who flouted the rules would come "under further scrutiny".
From BBC ● May 13, 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
If yes, the flouting of the law should be noted and the relief should be halted until the review is done.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 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
But John Mussington, the chairperson of Barbuda Council, the local authority, argues that this "community" was only made possible by flouting the 2007 Land Act.
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
The same could even be extended to Bieber’s set, whose lo-fi flouting of traditional Coachella spectacle seemed to play with that tension directly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2026
When Bruce ran that stop sign, he was flouting the law and flaunting his new Harley. gantlet/gauntlet.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
