Flaunt vs. Flout

How to use the verbs "flaunt" and "flout" correctly

This is an entry on my list of Common Errors in English Usage. Visit the main page for direct links to additional entries.

Flaunt means “to show off”:

flaunted his wealth by wearing fifty pounds of gold around his neck

Flout means “to scornfully disregard; to violate or break”:

flouted the rules as if he were above them

Related Resources

Common Errors in English Usage: Errors in diction and idiom commonly made by native speakers of English

List of Common Errors in English Usage (PDF): Printable version of the complete list

Common Grammar Errors: A list of common errors in grammar (topics like subject-verb agreement and parallelism) as distinct from usage

List of Common Errors in English Usage: PDF version

© 2006, 2008, and 2019 C. Brantley Collins, Jr.