floutflout /flaʊt/ verb [transitive] 
Some companies flout the rules and employ children as young as seven.deliberately/openly flout something The union had openly flouted the law.► see thesaurus at disobey
WORD ORIGINflout
Origin:
1500-1600 Probably from flout ‘to play the flute’ (14-16 centuries)VERB TABLE
flout
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | flout |
| he, she, it | flouts | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | flouted |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have flouted |
| he, she, it | has flouted | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had flouted |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will flout |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have flouted |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am flouting |
| he, she, it | is flouting | |
| you, we, they | are flouting | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was flouting |
| you, we, they | were flouting | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been flouting |
| he, she, it | has been flouting | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been flouting |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be flouting |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been flouting |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Many bar owners flout the laws on under-age drinking.
- Thousands of people are killed on our roads every year, yet a majority of us insist on flouting speed limits.
- Too many people regularly flout traffic laws.
- Accusations have been made that bus drivers already flout speed limits on the estate.
- He especially enjoyed this party because it was flouting tradition -- it was four years after its customary time.
- It was because he openly flouted racist conventions of the time, which said he had to stay in his place.
- Short stay charges and places in premium car parks have risen and drivers caught flouting the rules face a hefty £30 fine.
THESAURUS
to not obey a person, order, rule, or law: · In the army, it is a crime to disobey a superior officer.· He had disobeyed the school rules.
to not obey a law or rule: · Anyone who breaks the law must expect to be punished.
formal to deliberately refuse to obey a rule or law, or what someone in authority tells you to do: · The police arrested the youth for defying a court order.
formal to deliberately disobey a rule or law in a very public way: · Timber companies are continuing to flout environmental laws.
formal to disobey a law, or do something that is against an agreement or principle: · Both countries have accused each other of violating the treaty.· Technically he had violated the law.
formal to be against a law, rule, or agreement, or to do something that is against a law, rule, or agreement: · The British government’s actions contravened the European Convention on Human Rights.
Longman Language Activatorto not obey a rule or law to not obey a law or rule: · Protesters disobeyed the law and blocked the city's main roads.· Troops openly disobeyed orders, refusing to use force against their own people.
to not do what a rule or law says you must do: · Students who break the rules and smoke in school will be suspended.· I do not want my sons' TV role models to be tough, cool guys, who break laws and kill people. break the law: · If you fail to buy a ticket before you get on the train, you are breaking the law.
formal to disobey or do something that is against a rule, agreement, principle etc: · This action violated the constitution and the Civil Rights Act.· Police have arrested twenty people, accused of violating a ban on demonstrations.
also ignore to pay no attention to a law, rule, or to what someone has told you to do, and behave as if it does not affect you. Disregard is more formal than ignore: · Many cyclists ignore the law and ride around at night without lights.· I tell her to come home by 10 o'clock, but she just ignores me.· Marlow sometimes disregards the law, but his aim is always justice.· By disregarding speed limits and passing red lights, we somehow got to the airport in time.
formal to break a particular written law, rule, or agreement: · The sale of untreated milk may contravene public health regulations.· If a licence holder contravenes any of these conditions, their licence will be withdrawn.
: flout a rule/law etc to deliberately break a law or a rule, especially because you think it is unnecessary or stupid: · Many bar owners flout the laws on under-age drinking.· Thousands of people are killed on our roads every year, yet a majority of us insist on flouting speed limits.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY The union had openly flouted the law.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
to deliberately disobey a law, rule etc, without trying to hide what you are doing: The union had openly flouted the law. (=deliberately not do what is accepted or normal)· I was determined to flout convention when it came to the funeral arrangements.
(=deliberately disobey a law)· Employers who flout the law should be properly punished.
(=break it, without trying to hide what you are doing)· The party continues to flout its own rules.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· Michael Kalisher, for Birds Eye, said there was no way the company had deliberately flouted the law.· If some one deliberately flouts the law in that manner, they only have themselves to blame for the consequences.· Sometimes we deliberately flout the charge to be relevant: to signal embarrassment or a desire to change the subject.
NOUN· Michael Kalisher, for Birds Eye, said there was no way the company had deliberately flouted the law.· He's flouted the law and failed to take advise.· Will he condemn those who have flouted the law simply for commercial gain?· It is sometimes said that the offender must have been deliberately and flagrantly flouting the law.· If some one deliberately flouts the law in that manner, they only have themselves to blame for the consequences.· Last year's average fine of £297 is too low, particularly for those who flout the law continuously.· Helmut Kohl, chancellor from 1982-98, has been castigated for flouting the party finance laws he enacted.· Read in studio Police are targetting heavy goods vehicles in a crackdown on drivers who're flouting the law.
· Short stay charges and places in premium car parks have risen and drivers caught flouting the rules face a hefty £30 fine.· At that time, church officials said Yakunin flouted a rule barring priests from being involved in politics.· But the Party continues to flout its own rules and the basic principles of parliamentary democracy.
Some companies flout the rules and employ children as young as seven.deliberately/openly flout something The union had openly flouted the law.► see thesaurus at disobey