vaunt

IPA/vɔːnt/
IPA/vɑːnt/

vaunt — verb

  • vauntpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • vaunts3rd person singular
  • vaunting-ing form
  • vauntedpast simple

1. to talk proudly about your own success, ability, or possessions so that you seem

1.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

to talk proudly about your own success, ability, or possessions so that you seem overly impressed with yourself.

Example

At dinner, Gabriel vaunted his language awards to impress his cousins.

vaunt + achievement for self-praise

During the podcast, Mira vaunted her startup's growth for ten minutes.

formal reporting of prolonged self-praise

Common collocations
  • vaunt your record
  • vaunt your success
  • vaunt your talents
  • loudly vaunt
Synonyms
  • boast

    the closest everyday verb; less literary than vaunt

  • brag

    more informal and often more openly annoying

  • crow

    emphasises loud triumph after success

Antonyms
  • downplay

    deliberately make your success seem less important

  • understate

    describe your achievement in a restrained way

Grammar Patterns

vaunt + achievement/quality

vaunt + possessive + noun

Usage Note

Object is usually your own success, talent, history, or possessions. Distinguish from verb/2: this sense is straightforward self-praise, while verb/2 often promotes a person, place, or product to impress an audience.

Common Mistakes

He vaunted about his medals all night.
He vaunted his medals all night.
in formal use, vaunt usually takes a direct object rather than 'about'.

2. to present someone or something as especially good in order to win admiration, o

2.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

to present someone or something as especially good in order to win admiration, often in public or promotional language.

Example

The travel brochure vaunts the island's quiet beaches and cheap guesthouses.

brochure language promoting attractive features

Museum posters vaunted the new hall as the city's best art space.

vaunt + object in public promotion

Common collocations
  • vaunt a product
  • vaunt a program
  • vaunt the benefits
  • widely vaunted
Synonyms
  • tout

    common in business and media for praising something publicly

  • trumpet

    suggests loud, dramatic public praise

  • publicise

    more neutral; does not itself imply boastfulness

Antonyms
  • downplay

    avoid stressing the value of something

  • underplay

    present something as less impressive than it is

Grammar Patterns

vaunt + thing being praised

vaunt + noun phrase + to + audience

Usage Note

Object is often a plan, product, building, or program that someone wants others to admire. Distinguish from verb/1: the focus is public promotion of the thing itself, not simply bragging about your own worth.

Common Mistakes

The poster vaunted about the new hall.
The poster vaunted the new hall.
this sense normally puts the thing being promoted directly after the verb.

vaunt — noun

Word family

  • vaunted
    adjectiveC2
  • vauntingly
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

These words all involve drawing attention to value, but they do it in different ways. 'Vaunt' is the most literary and formal. It usually suggests proud language that makes success, talent, or merit sound bigger than it should. 'Boast' is the everyday neutral-to-negative choice for talking proudly about yourself. 'Brag' is more informal and often more annoying or childish. 'Flaunt' focuses less on words and more on showing something off through visible display, such as money, clothes, or privilege. 'Tout' is common in advertising and public relations, where a company or official praises a product, service, or plan. Compare: 'He boasted about his grades,' 'She flaunted her new watch,' and 'The brochure touted the hotel pool.'

vaunt ↗boast ↗brag ↗flaunt ↗tout ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • vaunt your success
  • widely vaunted
  • sound like a vaunt

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinAnglo-FrenchEnglish

The verb came into Middle English from Anglo-French forms meaning 'boast', and those forms go back to Late Latin words related to 'vanus', meaning 'empty' or 'vain'. That history fits the modern idea of speaking proudly in a way that feels inflated or hollow.

First known use

15th century

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense Noun