/flaʊt/, /flʌʊt/
OriginPerhaps from Middle English flouten (“to play the flute”); compare with Dutch fluiten.
- transitiveTo express contempt for (laws, rules, etc.) by word or action.
“The manoeuvres of Microsoft and HP appear to comply with the letter of the regulations, even if they flout their spirit.”
“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 al”
- archaic, transitiveTo scorn.
“Yet all ' s not worth a pin, But could not get her; Phillida flouts me. Dick had her to the Vine”
“Three gaudy standards flout the pale blue sky.”
- The act by which something is flouted; violation of a law.
“A flout is when someone deliberately and ostentatiously contravenes a maxim.”
- A mockery or insult.
Formsflouts(present, singular, third-person) · flouting(participle, present) · flouted(participle, past) · flouted(past) · flouts(plural)