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Webster 1913 Edition


Flout

Flout

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Flouted
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Flouting
.]
[OD.
fluyten
to play the flute, to jeer, D.
fluiten
, fr.
fluit
, fr. French. See
Flute
.]
To mock or insult; to treat with contempt.
Phillida
flouts
me.
Walton.
Three gaudy standards
flout
the pale blue sky.
Byron.

Flout

,
Verb.
I.
To practice mocking; to behave with contempt; to sneer; to fleer; – often with at.
Fleer and gibe, and laugh and
flout
.
Swift.

Flout

,
Noun.
A mock; an insult.
Who put your beauty to this
flout
and scorn.
Tennyson.

Webster 1828 Edition


Flout

FLOUT

,
Verb.
T.
To mock or insult; to treat with contempt.
Phillida flouts me.
He flouted us downright.

FLOUT

,
Verb.
I.
To practice mocking; to sneer; to behave with contempt.
Fleer and gibe, and laugh and flout.

FLOUT

,
Noun.
A mock; an insult.

Definition 2024


flout

flout

English

Verb

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

  1. To express contempt for the rules and law 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. To scorn.
    • Walton
      Phillida flouts me.
    • Byron
      Three gaudy standards flout the pale blue sky.

Usage notes

Translations

Noun

flout (plural flouts)

  1. The act by which something is flouted.
    • 2012, John Flowerdew, Discourse in English Language Education (page 97)
      A flout is when someone deliberately and ostentatiously contravenes a maxim.

Luxembourgish

Adjective

flout

  1. inflected form of flou