vaunt

[ vawnt, vahnt ]
See synonyms for: vauntvauntedvauntingvaunter on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to speak vaingloriously of; boast of: to vaunt one's achievements.

verb (used without object)
  1. to speak boastfully; brag.

noun
  1. a boastful action or utterance.

Origin of vaunt

1
1350–1400; Middle English vaunten<Middle French vanter to boast <Late Latin vānitāre, frequentative of *vānāre, derivative of Latin vānusvain. See vanity

Other words from vaunt

  • vaunter, noun
  • vaunt·ing·ly, adverb
  • outvaunt, verb (used with object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use vaunt in a sentence

  • Now they talked vauntingly, telling tales of the Englishman's prowess and the Indian's cowardice.

    Four American Indians | Edson L. Whitney
  • Nevertheless he was more of a good fellow, talked rather vauntingly of his wealth, and affected a patronising manner.

    The Trail of '98 | Robert W. Service
  • In the column it will be noticed that Rameses vauntingly asserts that his conquests were co-extensive with his desires.

    Cleopatra's Needle | James King
  • You will never find me less so when you vauntingly exhibit such mournful blemishes of character.

    Vashti | Augusta J. Evans Wilson
  • I guess he was afraid of the licking he knew hed get from me, said Grant, vauntingly; so I dont think hes told anything like that.

British Dictionary definitions for vaunt

vaunt

/ (vɔːnt) /


verb
  1. (tr) to describe, praise, or display (one's success, possessions, etc) boastfully

  2. (intr) rare, or literary to use boastful language; brag

noun
  1. a boast

  2. archaic ostentatious display

Origin of vaunt

1
C14: from Old French vanter, from Late Latin vānitāre to brag, from Latin vānus vain

Derived forms of vaunt

  • vaunter, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012