vaunt

American  

[vawnt, vahnt] / vɔnt, vɑnt /

verb (used with object)

• vaunts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• vaunted,
  past participle,  past
• vaunting
  present participle

1. to speak vaingloriously of; boast of.

   to vaunt one's achievements.

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verb (used without object)

• vaunts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• vaunted,
  past participle,  past
• vaunting
  present participle

1. to speak boastfully; brag.

noun

1. a boastful action or utterance.

vaunt British  

/ vɔːnt /

verb

1. (tr) to describe, praise, or display (one's success, possessions, etc) boastfully

2. rare (intr) to use boastful language; brag

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noun

1. a boast

2. archaic ostentatious display

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• vaunter
  noun
• outvaunt
  verb (used with object)
• vauntingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• vaunting
  present
• vaunted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• vaunt
  simple
• vaunts
  simple
• have vaunted
  perfect
• has vaunted
  perfect
• am vaunting
  progressive
• are vaunting
  progressive
• is vaunting
  progressive
• have been vaunting
  perfect progressive
• has been vaunting
  perfect progressive

Past

• vaunted
  simple
• had vaunted
  perfect
• was vaunting
  progressive
• were vaunting
  progressive
• had been vaunting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will vaunt
  simple
• will have vaunted
  perfect
• will be vaunting
  progressive
• will have been vaunting
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vaunt vaunts vaunted vaunting

European would-be competitors see those as openings to vaunt their own virtues.

From Barron's ● May 9, 2026

As the climate crisis has grown increasingly dire, many companies have turned to their landscapes to help them hit sustainability targets and vaunt their environmental bona fides.

From New York Times ● Jul. 4, 2023

When one warrior wins, typically the victory is punctuated by a witty defamatory "vaunt" that signals the champion's prowess and the loser's now-verified inadequacy.

From Salon ● Nov. 27, 2021

Mr Johnson will also be keen to vaunt the success of the vaccines programme and, with the economy improving, project a sense of optimism.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2021

Then came a rasping sound as those bright doors the key had sprung gave way— a bellow like a bull’s vaunt in a meadow— followed by her light footfall entering over the plank floor.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

He vaunts Neura's order book of over $1 billion.

From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026

The province supplements national allocations for children with hundreds of euros more per child and vaunts child-care programs, including one that certifies educators to turn their apartments into small nurseries.

From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2024

The school’s website vaunts its success in pursuits including karate, biology, chemistry, Arabic, music and Koran recitation.

From Reuters ● Jan. 25, 2018

And the Hilton vaunts him as a "dynamic and highly driven individual" with "boundless energy".

From BBC ● Jan. 4, 2018

The variety-show may have the variety it vaunts itself as possessing; but to novelty it can lay little claim.

From A Book About the Theater by Brander Matthews

USC executes yet another belly flop against a top opponent, and Gary Patterson’s vaunted defense is giving up more than 35 points per game in the Big Ten.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

Colleges and universities have seemed at risk of losing their vaunted place in American society over the past few years.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

It is his Excalibur, his Andúril, the vaunted weapon only he can string and use to hit a bullseye through a row of twelve crossed axes.

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026

Lego is hailing Smart Play, launched in March, as the most dramatic upgrade of the Danish toy maker’s vaunted “system of play” since 1978.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

She has been to his high school games and knows he is the vaunted captain of the St. Joseph’s football team.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Was it perhaps because of the energy devoted — admirably — to vaunting its low eco footprint?

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 3, 2022

The government says Greece will now be able to stand on its own two feet, vaunting 1.4% growth in 2017 and a planned return to the markets later this year.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2018

In the end, however, the controversy only seemed to stoke interest in the title, vaunting Paramount to the top of the U.S. studio earners in China after a lackluster showing in the country in 2013.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2015

When did the vaunting and flaunting of designer shoes, shoe closets, and shoe collections become so vital to any gal in pursuit of social currency?

From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2012

But he looked at Christopher and smiled a vaunting smile.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell