flaunt

verb \ ˈflȯnt , ˈflänt \

Definition of flaunt

intransitive verb

1 :to display or obtrude oneself to public notice

a great flaunting crowd
—Charles Dickens

2 :to wave or flutter showily

the flag flaunts in the breeze

transitive verb

1 :to display ostentatiously or impudently :parade

flaunting his superiority

a chance to flaunt clothes, bodies, and sexuality
—New Yorker

2 :to treat contemptuously

flaunted the rules
—Louis Untermeyer

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flaunt

noun

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flauntingly

play \ˈflȯn-tiŋ-lē, ˈflän-\ adverb

—

flaunty

play \ˈflȯn--tē, ˈflän-\ adjective

See flaunt defined for English-language learners

See flaunt defined for kids

flaunt vs. flout

Although the "treat contemptuously" sense of flaunt undoubtedly arose from confusion with flout, the contexts in which it appears cannot be called substandard.

- meting out punishment to the occasional mavericks who operate rigged games, tolerate rowdyism, or otherwise flaunt the law
- —Oscar Lewis
- observed with horror the flaunting of their authority in the suburbs, where men … put up buildings that had no place at all in a Christian commonwealth
- —Marchette Chute
- in our profession … very rarely do we publicly chastise a colleague who has flaunted our most basic principles
- —R. T. Blackburn, AAUP Bull.

If you use it, however, you should be aware that many people will consider it a mistake. Use of flout in the sense of "flaunt, parade" is found occasionally.

- "The proper pronunciation," the blonde said, flouting her refined upbringing, "is pree feeks"
- —Mike Royko

Examples of flaunt in a Sentence

She liked to flaunt her wealth by wearing furs and jewelry.
They openly flaunted the rules.

Recent Examples of flaunt from the Web

High neck sports bras are ideal for flaunting our shoulders and arms, and brands this season are loving them, offering a wide variety of trendy, supportive options.

— meg lappe, SELF, "15 High Neck Sports Bras to Show Off Your Shoulders," 30 Aug. 2017
Why would a successful—presumably wealthy—person write this, flaunting luxury brand names in such a blunt and crass fashion?

— tim calkins, Fortune, "Louise Linton Needs a Lesson in Branding," 25 Aug. 2017
All federal judges demand respect, and Ohio, like the rest of the country, has had its fair share of judges who would take actions to flaunt their power.

— laura hancock, cleveland.com, "State seeks bids for real-time access medial marijuana facility cameras," 18 Aug. 2017
Distinctly sweet and undeniably earthy, beets are the jewels of midsummer farmers markets, flaunting eye-catching shades ranging from deep ruby to snow white.

— ashleigh spitza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "For a colorful nutrition punch, learn to love beets," 8 Aug. 2017
Lena Dunham proudly flaunted hers for the cover of Glamour magazine—and looked awesome.

— anne roderique-jones, SELF, "My Summer of Cellulite Is Helping Me Get Over Myself and Just Live," 16 July 2017
He and Kimpel were spotted out at the beach on Wednesday, with the actor flaunting his fit figure in a pair of dark swim trunks.

— char adams, PEOPLE.com, "Antonio Banderas Enjoys Sweet Italian Vacation with Girlfriend Nicole Kimpel After Recovering from Heart Attack," 13 July 2017
But as a product, a piece of aspirational tech to flaunt on Reddit, Intel's HEDT chips are far less alluring.

— mark walton, Ars Technica, "Intel Core i9-7900X review: The fastest chip in the world, but too darn expensive," 4 July 2017
TLC wear their baggy clothes as a statement, but Salt-N-Pepa flaunt their figures.

— dinitia smith, Daily Intelligencer, "Straight Outta Queens," 30 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'flaunt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of flaunt

perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse flana to rush around

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1566

See Words from the same year

flaunt Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of flaunt

show, exhibit, display, expose, parade, flaunt mean to present so as to invite notice or attention. show implies no more than enabling another to see or examine.