Word of the Day

: June 14, 2009

flout

verb FLOUT

What It Means

1 : to treat with contemptuous disregard : scorn

2 : to indulge in scornful behavior

flout in Context

Shawn gets annoyed by pedestrians who flout traffic laws by crossing the street outside of the crosswalk.

Did You Know?

Watch out when using "flaunt" and "flout." Critics have been complaining about the confusion of these two words since the early 1900s. "Flaunt" means "to display ostentatiously," and most usage commentators consider it an error to use "flaunt" with the meaning "to treat with contemptuous disregard" (even though some admit to doing it themselves). Many educated writers have used "flaunt" in the "flout" sense for years, but the notoriety of the controversy is so great, and the belief that it's wrong to use "flaunt" for "flout" is so deep-seated, that we think you would do best to keep the two words distinct.