as in defiance
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as in disregarding
to ignore in a disrespectful manner
an able-bodied motorist openly flouting the law and parking in a space reserved for the disabled
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Recent Examples of flouting
Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 Jan. 2026
Americans shouldn’t turn a blind eye to the flouting of due process.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025
Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
Musk is banking on the area in and around Memphis as the foundation of his AI ambitions, and he's been flouting environmental rules in order to develop as quickly as possible.
—Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
But violent riders flouting bans is a common occurrence on CATS, according to the transit system’s own records from the last two years.
—Amber Gaudet
updated February 5, Charlotte Observer, 5 Feb. 2026
From Tennessee to Texas, musicians were breaking rules and flouting tradition in what the industry called Outlaw Country.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
Elsewhere, law enforcement leaders, civil rights advocates and other legal experts have decried how ICE agents and other federal officers have been flouting best practices when making street arrests, conducting crowd control and maintaining public safety amid mass protests.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
To many archaeologists around the world, the organization’s emphasis on recovering treasure amounted to piracy, flouting international standards for the preservation of cultural heritage.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Hungarian authorities pressed charges against Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony, one of the country’s most prominent opposition figures, for flouting a police ban of the annual Pride parade last year.
—Thomas Escritt, Bloomberg, 28 Jan. 2026
Those bars were also the site of police stings related to cocaine dealing, underage alcohol sales and flouting COVID-era business rules.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
Noun
In a particularly brazen flouting of traffic laws, one Waymo allegedly drove near the students who were disembarking from the bus.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 Jan. 2026
Americans shouldn’t turn a blind eye to the flouting of due process.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
Under the Biden administration, the Justice Department and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission opened investigations into whether Kalshi and Polymarket were flouting federal regulations.
—Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
Musk is banking on the area in and around Memphis as the foundation of his AI ambitions, and he's been flouting environmental rules in order to develop as quickly as possible.
—Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
But violent riders flouting bans is a common occurrence on CATS, according to the transit system’s own records from the last two years.
—Amber Gaudet
updated February 5, Charlotte Observer, 5 Feb. 2026
From Tennessee to Texas, musicians were breaking rules and flouting tradition in what the industry called Outlaw Country.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
Elsewhere, law enforcement leaders, civil rights advocates and other legal experts have decried how ICE agents and other federal officers have been flouting best practices when making street arrests, conducting crowd control and maintaining public safety amid mass protests.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
To many archaeologists around the world, the organization’s emphasis on recovering treasure amounted to piracy, flouting international standards for the preservation of cultural heritage.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Hungarian authorities pressed charges against Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony, one of the country’s most prominent opposition figures, for flouting a police ban of the annual Pride parade last year.
—Thomas Escritt, Bloomberg, 28 Jan. 2026
Those bars were also the site of police stings related to cocaine dealing, underage alcohol sales and flouting COVID-era business rules.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flouting
Noun
-
So far, Tehran appears to be in no hurry, projecting defiance in the face of what would be a significant escalation and a devastating blow to the country.—
Zach LaChance,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Lola’s father, for example, also had a history of defiance against the government alongside Cora (who Torres plays with paternal patience, as a man who’s seen the decades come and go on the island).—
Carlos Aguilar,
IndieWire,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Hezbollah, the paramilitary group in Lebanon, got involved in the conflict, disregarding the state’s sovereignty and firing missiles and drones from Lebanese territory at an Israeli military site near Haifa.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
-
In a March 4 statement, NAACP Director of Environmental and Climate Justice AbreÌ Connor criticized the Ratepayer Protection Pledge for disregarding environmental and climate concerns.—
Neil Strebig,
Memphis Commercial Appeal,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This innovation highlights how smart material design can overcome long-standing challenges in energy technology.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The challenge of weather-app creation lies both in the improbability of accurately predicting the weather and in the difficulty of designing something that works for any user, anywhere.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Cruelty and corruption recognized no regional boundaries, and officials on both sides seem to have come closer to despising than sympathizing with their suffering captives.—
Drew Gilpin Faust,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
-
That’s not the case with Bertha’s son, Larry (Harry Richardson), who seems to have joined his father in absolutely despising Bertha by the end of the season.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Resistance, rebellion and retribution all come out to play in one of Disney+’s most consistent series that’s unafraid to put its larger-than-life characters into the maw of Venus fly trap-like set of moral and ethical issues.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
In the era of AI, the notion of learning something for yourself is a quiet, internal act of rebellion against a world that seems to be flowing in the wrong direction.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The crowd danced hard, forgetting about anything other than the magic of the moment.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Movie night meant a trip to the video store, and every household knew the agony of forgetting to rewind before returning a rental.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Addressing Modern Behavior Patterns Verification tools such as these address behavior patterns such as preemptive ignoring, digital curiosity, and selective responsiveness, all of which have become more common in recent years.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Paul Atreides in Dune, Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, Marty Mauser in Marty Supreme — these are all characters defined by otherworldly gifts, monomaniacal drive, and a cold-blooded disregard for the concerns of others.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Traditional quest narratives, shaped by the hero’s journey, are tethered to swords, battles, monsters, and a troubling disregard for collateral damage.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flouting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flouting. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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