Perhaps from Middle English flouten (“to play the flute”); compare with Dutch fluiten.
Meanings
(transitive) To express contempt for (laws, rules, etc.) by word or action.
Of necessity[…] the duty to comply with the rules designed to spare civilians as much as possible the hazards of war is absolute, not contingent on the behavior of opponents. The Israeli government already seems to be flouting those rules. 2023 October 11, Kenneth Roth, “The attack on Israel has been called a ‘9/11 moment’. Therein lies a cautionary tale”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
The manoeuvres of Microsoft and HP appear to comply with the letter of the regulations, even if they flout their spirit. 2012 September 29, “Tax alchemy: Tech's avoidance”, in The Economist:
(archaic, transitive) To scorn.
Yet all ' s not worth a pin, But could not get her; Phillida flouts me. Dick had her to the Vine 1653, Iz[aak] Wa[lton], The Compleat Angler or The Contemplative Man’s Recreation. Being a Discourse of Fish and Fishing, […], London: […] T. Maxey for Rich[ard] Marriot, […], →OCLC; reprinted as The Compleat Angler (Homo Ludens; 6), Nieuwkoop, South Holland, Netherlands: Miland Publishers, 1969, →ISBN:
Three gaudy standards flout the pale blue sky. 1812–1818, Lord Byron, “(please specify |canto=I to IV)”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. , London: John Murray,, stanza 41:
pt ridicularizar (to scorn) · uk глузувати (to scorn) · pt desrespeitar (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · ru глумиться (to scorn) · nl bespotten (to scorn) · pl gardzić (to scorn) · ro fluiera în biserică (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · hu kicsúfol (to scorn) · cs nedbat (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · es saltarse a la torera (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · hu fittyet hány (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · cmn 公然藐視 /藐视、違背 /违背 (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · es sobreponerse (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · hu megcsúfol (to scorn) · mi whakatoi (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · de pfeifen auf (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · mi whakatoi (to scorn) · cs pohrdat (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · fr se moquer de (to scorn) · bg подигравам се (to scorn) · uk нехтувати (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · mi whakatoitoi (to scorn) · fi pitää pilkkanaan (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · fi uhmata (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · cs opovrhovat (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · nl veronachtzamen (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · cmn 藐視 /藐视、鄙視 /鄙视、不屑 (to scorn) · ru насмехаться (to scorn) · hu semmibe vesz (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · fi halveksia (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · cs ignorovat (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · de missachten (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · bg пренебрегвам (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · uk зневажати (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · uk насміхатися (to scorn) · fr mépriser (to scorn) · de sich hinwegsetzen über (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · hu arcul csap (to scorn) · bg надсмивам се (to scorn) · fi halveksia (to scorn) · gl desleixar (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · de beleidigen (to scorn) · pl lekceważyć (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · pt escarnecer (to scorn) · nl minachten (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · hu kigúnyol (to scorn) · ru пренебрега́ть (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · fi pitää pilkkanaan (to scorn) · de verspotten (to scorn) · mi whakatoitoi (to express contempt for the rules by word or action) · pl zlekceważyć (to express contempt for the rules by word or action)