Agatha Christie
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The story behind flounce is an elusive one. The verb's earliest recorded uses in English occurred in the mid-1500s, and some scholars believe it is related to the Norwegian verb flunsa (meaning "to hurry" or "to work briskly") and Swedish flunsa ("to fall with a splash" or "to plunge"). The connection is uncertain, however, because the flunsa verbs did not appear in their respective languages until the 18th century, long after flounce surfaced in English. A second distinct sense of flounce, referring to a strip or ruffle of fabric attached on one edge, did not appear in English until the 18th century. This flounce derives from the Middle English frouncen, meaning "to curl."
Synonyms
Examples of flounce in a Sentence
Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Bsn, Parents, 4 Sep. 2024
At that moment the doctor came in, the skirts of his coat flouncing.
—Caleb Crain, The New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2024
Nadja Sayej, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
The constructed piece featured ruched sides and a maxi flounce on each of the sides for a dramatic and transformative silhouette.
—Ada Tseng, WWD, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flounce 
Dictionary Entries Near flounce
Cite this Entry
“Flounce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flounce. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
flounce
1 of 4 verbflounce
2 of 4 nounflounce
3 of 4 verbflounce
4 of 4 nounVerb
perhaps of Scandinavian origin
Verb
an altered form of earlier frounce "to trim with ruffles," from Middle English frouncen "to curl"
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