flout

English

Etymology

Perhaps from Middle English flouten (“to play the flute”); compare with Dutch fluiten.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /flaʊt/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• (Canada) IPA^(key): /flʌʊt/
• Rhymes: -aʊt

Verb

flout (third-person singular simple present flouts, present participle flouting, simple past and past participle flouted)

1. (transitive) To express contempt for (laws, rules, etc.) by word or action.
   • 2012 September 29, “Tax alchemy: Tech's avoidance”, in The Economist‎^[1]:

     The manoeuvres of Microsoft and HP appear to comply with the letter of the regulations, even if they flout their spirit.

   • 2023 October 11, Kenneth Roth, “The attack on Israel has been called a ‘9/11 moment’. Therein lies a cautionary tale”, in The Guardian‎^[2], →ISSN:

     Of necessity […] the duty to comply with the rules designed to spare civilians as much as possible the hazards of war is absolute, not contingent on the behavior of opponents. The Israeli government already seems to be flouting those rules.

2. (transitive, archaic) To scorn.
   • 1653, Iz[aak] Wa[lton], The Compleat Angler or The Contemplative Man’s Recreation. Being a Discourse of Fish and Fishing, […], London: […] T. Maxey for Rich[ard] Marriot, […], →OCLC; reprinted as The Compleat Angler (Homo Ludens; 6), Nieuwkoop, South Holland, Netherlands: Miland Publishers, 1969, →ISBN:

     Yet all ' s not worth a pin, But could not get her; Phillida flouts me. Dick had her to the Vine

   • 1812–1818, Lord Byron, “Canto 1”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. , London: John Murray,, stanza 41:

     Three gaudy standards flout the pale blue sky.

Usage notes

• Not to be confused with flaunt.

Translations

to express contempt for the rules by word or action

• Bulgarian: пренебрегвам (bg) (prenebregvam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 公然 (zh) (gōngrán)藐視／藐视 (zh) (miǎoshì)、違背／违背 (zh) (wéibèi)

• Dutch: minachten (nl), veronachtzamen (nl)
• Finnish: uhmata (fi), halveksia (fi), pitää pilkkanaan (fi)
• Galician: desleixar
• German: sich hinwegsetzen über, missachten (de), pfeifen auf
• Hungarian: semmibe vesz (hu), fittyet hány (hu)
• Maori: whakatoi, whakatoitoi
• Polish: zlekceważyć (pl)
• Portuguese: desrespeitar (pt)
• Russian: пренебрега́ть (ru) (prenebregátʹ)
• Spanish: sobreponerse (es), saltarse a la torera (colloquial; of an action)
• Ukrainian: зневажати (uk) (znevažaty), нехтувати (nextuvaty)

to scorn

• Bulgarian: надсмивам се (nadsmivam se), подигравам се (podigravam se)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 藐視／藐视 (zh) (miǎoshì)、鄙視／鄙视 (zh) (bǐshì)、不屑 (zh) (bùxiè)

• Dutch: bespotten (nl)
• Finnish: halveksia (fi), pitää pilkkanaan (fi)
• French: mépriser (fr), se moquer de
• German: verspotten (de), beleidigen (de)
• Hungarian: kigúnyol (hu), kicsúfol (hu), megcsúfol (hu), arcul csap
• Maori: whakatoi, whakatoitoi
• Polish: gardzić (pl)
• Portuguese: escarnecer (pt), ridicularizar (pt)
• Russian: насмехаться (ru) (nasmexatʹsja), глумиться (ru) (glumitʹsja)
• Ukrainian: глузувати (hluzuvaty), насміхатися (uk) (nasmixatysja)

Noun

flout (plural flouts)

1. The act by which something is flouted; violation of a law.
   • 2012, John Flowerdew, Discourse in English Language Education, page 97:

     A flout is when someone deliberately and ostentatiously contravenes a maxim.

2. A mockery or insult.

Luxembourgish

Adjective

flout

1. strong/weak nominative/accusative neuter singular of flou