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flout. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
flout, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
flout in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
flout you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
Perhaps from Middle English flouten (“to play the flute”); compare with Dutch fluiten.
Pronunciation
Verb
flout (third-person singular simple present flouts, present participle flouting, simple past and past participle flouted)
- (transitive) To express contempt for (laws, rules, etc.) by word or action.
2012 September 29, “Tax alchemy: Tech's avoidance”, in The Economist: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, →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.
- (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 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
Usage notes
- Not to be confused with flaunt.
Translations
to express contempt for the rules by word or action
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)
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Noun
flout (plural flouts)
- 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.
- A mockery or insult.
Luxembourgish
Adjective
flout
- strong/weak nominative/accusative neuter singular of flou