flounce

The internet slang term flounce means “to leave an online group in a dramatic manner,” and may or may not involve burning a few bridges or stirring the pot on the way out.

You may be surprised to learn the word flounce long predates the internet. It dates back to the 16th century and means “to go with impatient or impetuous, exaggerated movements,” often said of departures (e.g., flounce out).

Flounce got new life in the late 1990s and early 2000s with the rise of online forums and social media sites. As people started to build online communities on sites like LiveJournal, Myspace, Facebook, and Reddit, they also got fed up with them—and began flouncing them. Evidence for the term can be found on internet Usenet forums by at least 1999.

When someone flounces, they usually make what’s known as a flounce post to announce their departure. This tends to involve a lead-up to the flounce: angry exchanges with a few users, the deletion of some posts, and even kicking out or reporting other group members.

Then comes the flounce post itself, generally featuring an airing of any grievances that compelled them to leave in the first place, finger-pointing, expressions of emotions like disappointment and anger, and a tearful goodbye (e.g., This will be my very last post!). Sometimes the flouncer will call further attention to their flouncing by posting in other groups about the drama or by messaging individual users to make people take sides.

All sound a bit extra? Many people would agree, as flouncing is often lambasted as petty, unnecessary, attention-seeking drama.

Flounce can be a verb (e.g., He flounced the subreddit) or a noun (His subreddit flounce was so childish).

It is often used in the context of calling out flouncers. Its users may complain, genuinely or humorously, about those who flounce as if they are the worst humans in existence.

No one respond to the flounce post. Please keep it classy and be the bigger person

— wine and women (@spiralgoddess) September 4, 2009

For others, flouncing serves as a form of entertainment. People often like to sit back, relax, and watch the drama unfold.

Personally I'm on the edge of my chair waiting for the next whiny flounce post or counter post on TechCrunch HOW ABOUT YOU GUYS?

— Craig Calef (@craigcalef) September 17, 2011

I follow a horsey page on FB it has a huge following. There is a group in it who are very vocal & aggressive and seem to revel in how many people they can make ‘flounce off’ I love a good mute button me 🤣 I’ve never had to do that on here.

— Michelle 👩🏻👁🐶🐴 (@mishcousin) August 27, 2018

Some people will own up to their own flouncing behavior. They may complain that they want to flounce due to the annoyingness of a group, or they might admit to being a #dramaqueen.

As flounced has aged, it has sometimes softened in tone, referring to a more temporary and even less dramatic departure from a site—though still because one is extremely irritated by content or users there.

Contemplating a Facebook flounce as a hell of a lot of people on there are idiots.

— Calz 🇪🇺 (@CornishCalzone) April 11, 2013

Note that flounce can be used in other contexts, such as a type of dress that’s pleated but flow-y. Flounce can also be used in its original, “floundering” sense, especially in the expression flounce out of the room.

Just Pinned to STYLISH FASHION: Flounce Hem Rib-knit Dress https://t.co/jDKFdH2Lsm pic.twitter.com/N8pXkc4sUs

— Kimlud.com ⤴️ (@kimludcom) January 11, 2019

More examples of flounce:

“It’s sad how some people interpret ANY correction as a personal assault, though. I myself have flounced from an Asperger Women’s group on Facebook, because the page owner personally attacked me after I offered her what I thought was a gentle correction on a point she was making about drug treatments for various ASD symptoms. It was not the first time she had made sweeping statements and I just decided I no longer wanted to be associated with that group.”
—Melissa G (commenter), I Speak of Dreams (blog), February 2013

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.