vaunt

1 of 2

verb

ˈvȯnt 

ˈvänt

vaunted; vaunting; vaunts

intransitive verb

: to make a vain display of one's own worth or attainments : brag

transitive verb

: to call attention to pridefully and often boastfully

people who vaunt their ingenuity

vaunter noun

vauntingly

ˈvȯn-tiŋ-lē 

ˈvän-

adverb

vaunt

2 of 2

noun

1

: a vainglorious display of what one is or has or has done

2

: a bragging assertive statement

Synonyms

Verb

• blow
• boast
• brag
• bull [slang]
• crow
• gasconade
• swagger
• vapor

Choose the Right Synonym for vaunt

boast, brag, vaunt, crow mean to express pride in oneself or one's accomplishments.

boast often suggests ostentation and exaggeration

boasts of every trivial success

, but it may imply a claiming with proper and justifiable pride.

the town boasts one of the best museums in the area

brag suggests crudity and artlessness in glorifying oneself.

bragging of their exploits

vaunt usually connotes more pomp and bombast than boast and less crudity or naïveté than brag.

vaunted his country's military might

crow usually implies exultant boasting or bragging.

crowed after winning the championship

Examples of vaunt in a Sentence

Verb

even the noblest of fellows have been known to vaunt a bit

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

How can a political system vaunted for its checks and balances allow one person to act so freely? —James Goldgeier, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2018

For a team as vaunted as UConn for its offensive attack that might seem out of character. —NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024

The province supplements national allocations for children with hundreds of euros more per child and vaunts child-care programs, including one that certifies educators to turn their apartments into small nurseries. —Gaia Pianigiani, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024

Chargers Chargers defense outplays vaunted Jets unit, keeping N.Y. out of end zone in road win Nov. 6, 2023 Austin Ekeler scored twice but averaged just 3.4 yards per carry and had two catches on seven targets. —Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English vaunten "to speak vainly, boast," borrowed from Anglo-French vanter, vaunter, going back to Late Latin vānitāre (only in participial forms vānitantēs, vānitantia), frequentative derivative of *vānāre "to make a vain display," derivative of Latin vānus "lacking content, empty, illusory, marked by foolish or empty pride" — more at wane entry 1

Noun

Middle English, probably aphetic form of avaunt "boast," noun derivative of avaunten "to boast, brag," borrowed from Anglo-French avanter "to boast about," from a-, prefix in transitive verbs (going back to Latin ad-) + vanter "to boast" — more at ad-, vaunt entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing vaunt

• vaunt-courier