Word of the week: Flounce

Flounce

Definition:
Noun: A strip of decorative material, usually gathered or pleated.

Verb: To move with exaggerated jerky movements, particularly to show annoyance or to attract attention.

Examples:
Patricia's dress was very flouncy.

After breaking off her engagement to Henry, Florence flounced out of the room.

Whether you think of the drawing rooms of 18th century England or of a big fat gypsy wedding, flounces are a theme in female fashion. When something is described as 'flouncy' it usually means it is too frilly. To call something 'flouncy' really means it has too much decoration and is not elegant.

Flounce is also a verb that means to walk quickly to express annoyance, or to attract attention. My little sister used to flounce out of the living room frequently when I was growing up, and usually slammed the door as a final flourish!

Though in modern English, both the verb and noun form of flounce are more associated with women, they are not thought to be related in origin. In fact, since the word originated, fashion has often seen men in very flouncy outfits!

Why not flounce on down to the comments and give us a good example of a sentence using the word 'flounce', or just say hi!

You don't have to flounce off to another country to study English online with a real live Kaplan teacher. But you should make sure your petticoats have the appropriate flounce before reading about our English schools in more than 40 locations worldwide.