Skip to main content

flout — openly disregard or disobey (a rule, law, or convention)

Part of speech: VERB

Definition: openly disregard or disobey (a rule, law, or convention)

Pronunciation (IPA): /flaʊt/

Example Sentences

  • The celebrity continued to flout traffic laws by parking in handicapped spaces.
  • My cat seems to flout the laws of physics by sleeping in impossible positions.
  • The restaurant decided to flout health regulations and serve food past its expiration date.

flout

VERB

[/flaʊt/]

openly disregard or disobey (a rule, law, or convention)

He decided to flout the museum rules and touch the ancient sculpture.
💡 Concept

He decided to flout the museum rules and touch the ancient sculpture.

River flows out, ignoring all the rules - flouting authority!
🧠 Mnemonic

River flows out, ignoring all the rules - flouting authority!

Flout the rules, take the forbidden route, ignore every shout!
🎵 Rhyme

Flout the rules, take the forbidden route, ignore every shout!

Got the picture? Now let's practice.

🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/flaʊt/
🇬🇧 UK/flaʊt/

🌳Etymology

Rootflout

Origin

From Dutch 'fluiten' meaning 'to play the flute' or 'to hiss/jeer', which came to mean 'to mock or treat with contempt' in English by the 1590s. The sense evolved from the idea of openly mocking or showing disdain for something.

Breakdown

flout: a single morpheme with no productive affixes; the word itself derives from Dutch 'fluiten' (to play flute/to hiss) = flout (to openly disregard)

🎵Rhyme

doubt
route
shout

🔗Collocations

flout the law
flout authority
flout convention
flout safety rules
openly flout

📝Examples

“The celebrity continued to flout traffic laws by parking in handicapped spaces.”

😄 Fun example

“My cat seems to flout the laws of physics by sleeping in impossible positions.”

“The restaurant decided to flout health regulations and serve food past its expiration date.”

😄 Fun example

“Teenagers love to flout their parents' curfew by staying out until 3 AM.”

📚Related Words

Want to master 27,000+ words?

Sign up free for flashcards & quizzes.