Of North Germanic origin. Perhaps related to Norwegian flanta (“to show off, wander about”), Icelandic flana (“to rush about, act rashly or heedlessly”) and then also to French flâner (“to wander around, loiter”).
Alternatively, it could be related to Swedish flankt (“loosely, flutteringly”) (compare English flaunt-a-flaunt), from flanka (“waver, hang and wave about, ramble”), a nasalised variant of flakka (“to waver”), related to Middle English flacken (“to move to and fro, flutter, palpitate”). See flack.
Meanings
(obsolete) Anything displayed for show.
Should I , in these my borrow'd flaunts, behold
The sternness of his presence? c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:
Of North Germanic origin. Perhaps related to Norwegian flanta (“to show off, wander about”), Icelandic flana (“to rush about, act rashly or heedlessly”) and then also to French flâner (“to wander around, loiter”).
Alternatively, it could be related to Swedish flankt (“loosely, flutteringly”) (compare English flaunt-a-flaunt), from flanka (“waver, hang and wave about, ramble”), a nasalised variant of flakka (“to waver”), related to Middle English flacken (“to move to and fro, flutter, palpitate”). See flack.
Meanings
(archaic, intransitive, of leaves or flags) To wave or flutter smartly in the wind.
Flaunt away, flags of all nations! be duly lower’d at sunset! 1892, Walt Whitman, “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry”, in Leaves of Grass […], Philadelphia, Pa.: David McKay, publisher, […], →OCLC, page 133:
At the corner of the bridge, too, I saw one of the common contrasts of that grotesque time—a sheet of paper flaunting against a thicket of the Red Weed, transfixed by a stick that kept it in place. 1895–1897, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, “Wreckage”, in The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, published 1898, →OCLC, book II (The Earth under the Martians), pages 291–292:
The house came into sight, above the cedar grove beyond whose black interstices an apple orchard flaunted in the sunny afternoon. 1931, William Faulkner, Sanctuary, Library of America, published 1985, page 26:
The black, rich soil had fed itself with the decay of a long period of time; such as fallen leaves, the petals of flowers, and the stalks and seed-vessels of vagrant and lawless plants, more useful after their death than ever while flaunting in the sun. 1851 April 9, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC:
(transitive) To parade, display with ostentation.
Near-synonym: vaunt
He pierced with his sombre detachment the plate-glass of ironmongers and saddlers, while Strether flaunted an affinity with the dealers in stamped letter-paper and in smart neckties. 1903 September 28, Henry James, The Ambassadors, London: Methuen & Co. […], →OCLC:
She’s always flaunting her designer clothes.
Israel has shown – flaunted even – the Mossad’s ability to operate with near impunity in Iran in the past. 2025 June 14, Tamar Michaelis, Oren Liebermann, Jeremy Diamond, “Israel’s unprecedented attack shows Iran has become a ‘playground’ for the Mossad”, in CNN.com:
Never one to miss an opportunity to flaunt his wealth, Khashoggi let his yacht be used for the 1983 Bond film Never Say Never Again. 2017 June 7, Adam Lusher, “Adnan Khashoggi: the 'whoremonger' whose arms deals funded a playboy life of decadence and 'pleasure wives'”, in The Independent, London:
(archaic, intransitive, literary) To show off, as with flashy clothing.
[T]he younger belles had begun to flaunt in the French fashions of flimsy muslins, shortwaisted— narrow-skirted. 1856, Dinah Craik, John Halifax, Chapter VI:
You Sot, ſays ſhe, you loyter about Alehouſes and Taverns, ſpend your Time at Billiards, Nine-pins or Puppet-ſhovvs, or flaunt about the Streets in your nevv gilt Chariot, never minding me nor your numerous Family; […] 1712, Humphry Polesworth [pseudonym; John Arbuthnot], “How Bull and Frog went to Law with Lord Strutt about the Premisses, and were Joined by the Rest of the Tradesmen”, in Law is a Bottomless-Pit. […], London: […] John Morphew, […], →OCLC, pages 8–9:
One flaunts in rags, one flutters in brocade. 1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], (please specify |epistle=I to IV), London: […] J[ohn] Wilford, […], →OCLC:
[…] Mrs. Wix seemed to flaunt there in her finery. 1897 October 16, Henry James, chapter XXV, in What Maisie Knew, Chicago, Ill.; New York, N.Y.: Herbert S. Stone & Co., →OCLC:
cs vytahovat se (to show off) · fa نمایش دادن (to parade, display with ostentation) · cs vlát (to wave or flutter smartly) · it mettere in mostra (to parade, display with ostentation) · hu büszkélkedik (to parade, display with ostentation) · hu megcsillogtat (to parade, display with ostentation) · ro parada (to parade, display with ostentation) · pl powiewać dumnie (to wave or flutter smartly) · fr étaler (to parade, display with ostentation) · de stolz wehen (to wave or flutter smartly) · cs třepotat se (to wave or flutter smartly) · he התרברב (to parade, display with ostentation) · mi whakatamarahi (to parade, display with ostentation) · mk фали (to parade, display with ostentation) · hu díszeleg (to show off) · bg показвам се (to show off) · es lucir (to parade, display with ostentation) · mi whakameremere (to parade, display with ostentation) · sv glänsa (to show off) · fi hulmuta (to wave or flutter smartly) · hu páváskodik (to show off) · ru афиши́ровать (to parade, display with ostentation) · pl zaafiszować się (to parade, display with ostentation) · hu parádézik (to show off) · de (etwas) zur Schau tragen (to parade, display with ostentation) · pl afiszować się impf zaafiszować się (to show off) · et kenitlema (to parade, display with ostentation) · ru щеголя́ть (to show off) · fi prameilla (to parade, display with ostentation) · vi khoe (to parade, display with ostentation) · cs chlubit se (to show off) · bg парадирам (to parade, display with ostentation) · pl popisać się (to show off) · mi whakamenomeno (to show off) · uk кокетува́ти (to parade, display with ostentation) · de stolzieren (to parade, display with ostentation) · pl obnosić się (to parade, display with ostentation) · pl paradować (to parade, display with ostentation) · cs stavět na odiv (to parade, display with ostentation) · fi komeilla (to parade, display with ostentation) · uk хизува́тися (to parade, display with ostentation) · cs předvádět (to parade, display with ostentation) · de kühn wehen (to wave or flutter smartly) · hu (büszkén) leng/lobog (to wave or flutter smartly) · sv briljera (to parade, display with ostentation) · fi pröystäillä (to parade, display with ostentation) · cs předvádět se (to show off) · fr parader (to parade, display with ostentation) · bg развявам (to wave or flutter smartly) · ru колыхаться (to wave or flutter smartly) · de paradieren (to parade, display with ostentation) · pl popisywać się (to show off) · pt ostentar (to parade, display with ostentation) · sv paradera (to parade, display with ostentation) · mi whakameremere (to show off) · ca ostentar (to parade, display with ostentation) · es tremolar (to parade, display with ostentation) · nl pronken (to parade, display with ostentation) · ru выставля́ть напока́з (to parade, display with ostentation) · hu hivalkodik (to parade, display with ostentation) · fi leveillä (to parade, display with ostentation) · it ostentare (to parade, display with ostentation) · de offen zeigen (to parade, display with ostentation) · fi komeilla (to show off) · tr (bir şeyi) teşhir etmek (to parade, display with ostentation) · ru дефили́ровать (to show off) · cs chvástat se (to show off) · hu kérkedik (to parade, display with ostentation) · fr exhiber (to parade, display with ostentation) · hu ékeskedik (to show off) · et edvistama (to parade, display with ostentation) · cmn 詡 /诩 (to parade, display with ostentation) · et eputama (to parade, display with ostentation) · es alardear de (to parade, display with ostentation) · it esibire (to parade, display with ostentation) · hu pompázik (to show off) · de protzen (to show off) · de herumstolzieren (to parade, display with ostentation) · mk шепури (to parade, display with ostentation) · es ostentar (to parade, display with ostentation) · de (etwas) zur Schau stellen (to parade, display with ostentation) · oc ostentar (to parade, display with ostentation) · pl afiszować się (to parade, display with ostentation) · hu fitogtat (to parade, display with ostentation) · mi whakametometo (to parade, display with ostentation) · mi whakametometo (to show off) · fi koreilla (to show off) · de mit prunken (etwas) (to show off) · es presumir (to parade, display with ostentation) · fi prameilla (to show off) · sv stoltsera (to parade, display with ostentation) · tr bir hava atmak (şeyle) (to parade, display with ostentation) · sv briljera (to show off) · de prangen (to show off) · hu tetszeleg (to show off)
Wheeler said companies already are flaunting the rules by offering free or sponsored data services for some products. 2017 January 20, David Shepardson, “Outgoing FCC chair warns against overturning net neutrality”, in Reuters, archived from the original on 28 Nov 2018:
By that late date, however, the golden age of the lurid paperback book was pretty much over, and the sort of punishment meted out to Aday and Maxey for flaunting the sexual mores of a McCarthyite culture would soon be a thing of the past. 2001, Susan Stryker, Queer Pulp, page 22: