flout

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /flaʊt/

  • Audio (UK)

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• (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, The Economist, Sep 29th 2012 issue, Tax alchemy: Tech's avoidance

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

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

• 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 (uk) (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 (uk) (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