flaunt

(flônt)

v., flaunt·ed, flaunt·ing, flaunts.

v.tr.

1. To exhibit ostentatiously or shamelessly: flaunts his knowledge. See synonyms at show.
2. Usage Problem. To show contempt for; scorn.

v.intr.

1. To parade oneself ostentatiously; show oneself off.
2. To wave grandly: pennants flaunting in the wind.

[Origin unknown.]

flaunter flaunt'er n.
flauntingly flaunt'ing·ly adv.

USAGE NOTE   Flaunt as a transitive verb means "to exhibit ostentatiously": She flaunted her wealth. To flout is "to show contempt for": She flouted the proprieties. For some time now flaunt has been used in the sense "to show contempt for," even by educated users of English. This usage is still widely seen as erroneous and is best avoided.

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The two words are unrelated. To flaunt means 'to display ostentatiously':

Women should have it both ways—they should be able to flaunt their sexuality and be taken seriously—E. Wurtzel, 1998.

To flout means 'to show contempt for (a rule, the law, etc.)':

Countries engage in covert activities because they do not want to flout the rules openly—Encounter, 1987.

The confusion, apart from the similarities of sound, may be due to the notion of conspicuousness common to both actions, and it is noteworthy that flaunt is used mistakenly to mean flout but the reverse does not occur:

☒ By flaunting these rules, Hongkong and Shanghai have challenged the Bank's authority—Daily Telegraph, 1981

☒ The fact that a shop so close to the scene of the tragic crash is still flaunting licensing laws will no doubt cause more outrage—Hastings Observer, 2007.

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verb

To make a public and usually ostentatious show of: brandish, display, disport, exhibit, expose, flash, parade, show (off), sport. See show/hide.

v

Definition: show off
Antonyms: be modest, conceal, hide, refrain

See words rhyming with "flaunter."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Flaunt.

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Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - vifte med, paradere, lade hånt om
v. intr. - vigte sig med

Nederlands (Dutch)
pronken, te koop lopen met, wapperen, aan je laars lappen

Français (French)
v. tr. - étaler, faire étalage de, afficher (des opinions), exhiber (la richesse)
v. intr. - s'exhiber

Deutsch (German)
v. - zur Schau stellen, prangen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - κυματίζω περήφανα, επιδεικνύω, μοστράρω

Italiano (Italian)
ostentare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - ostentar

Русский (Russian)
реять, выставлять себя, щеголять, нарушать устав

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - ostentar, hacer alarde de, hacer gala de
v. intr. - pavonearse, ondear orgullosamente (la bandera)

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - briljera, nonchalera

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
炫耀, 夸示, 飘扬, 夸耀

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 炫耀, 誇示
v. intr. - 飄揚, 誇耀

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - ~을 자랑 삼아 보이다, 과시하다
v. intr. - 허세를 부리다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 見せびらかす, 風に翻る

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يزدهي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮השתחץ, נפנף בידו בגאווה, הציג עצמו לראווה‬
v. intr. - ‮השתחץ, הציג עצמו לגאווה, נפנף בידו בגאווה‬

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