# flout

Pronunciation: US say "FLOWT" /flaʊt/; UK

## Verb

1. To show contempt for a law, rule, or similar standard through what one says or does.
   - Simple: To show that you do not respect a rule or law by what you say or do.
   - _Companies that flout safety regulations can face heavy fines._
   - _Several restaurants were openly flouting the city's ban on outdoor heaters._

## Noun

2. An act that shows contempt for a rule or law, or the violation of a law itself.
   - Simple: Something done that shows no respect for a rule or law, or the breaking of a law.
   - _Her sarcastic reply was a deliberate flout of the usual rules of polite conversation._
   - _Critics called the late-night party at the governor's mansion a flout of the curfew law._
3. A remark or act that mocks someone; an insult.
   - Simple: Something mean said or done to make fun of someone.
   - _He endured the flouts and jeers of the crowd without a word._
   - _Her parting flout about his cooking stung more than he admitted._

## Verb

4. To regard or treat someone or something with scorn. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To show that you think someone or something is worthless.
   - _Why do you flout me when I have loved you for so long?_
   - _The proud lady flouted every suitor who came to her father's house._

## Origin

Perhaps from Middle English flouten ("to play the flute"); compare Dutch fluiten.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/flout (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).