flat

¹

[ flat ]

adjective

, flat·ter, flat·test.

1. horizontally level:

   a flat roof.

   Synonyms: plane

2. level, even, or without unevenness of surface, as land or tabletops.
3. having a surface that is without marked projections or depressions:

   a broad, flat face.

4. lying horizontally and at full length, as a person; prostrate:

   He was flat on the canvas after the knockdown.

   Synonyms: prone, low

   Antonyms: vertical, upright

5. lying wholly on or against something:

   The banner was flat against the wall.

6. thrown down, laid low, or level with the ground, as fallen trees or buildings.
7. having a generally level shape or appearance; not deep or thick:

   a flat plate.

8. (of the heel of a shoe) low and broad.
9. spread out, as an unrolled map or the open hand.
10. deflated; collapsed:

    a flat tire.

11. absolute, downright, or positive; without qualification:

    a flat denial.

    Synonyms: categorical, peremptory, outright

12. without modification or variation:

    a flat rate.

13. Informal. lacking money; broke.
14. without vitality or animation; lifeless; dull:

    flat writing.

    Synonyms: prosaic, spiritless, boring

    Antonyms: spirited

15. having lost its flavor, sharpness, or life, as wine or food; stale.
16. (of a beverage) having lost its effervescence.
17. without flavor; not spiced:

    flat cooking.

    Synonyms: unsavory, vapid

    Antonyms: savory, flavorful

18. prosaic, banal, or insipid:

    a flat style.

19. pointless, as a remark or joke.
20. commercially inactive:

    a flat day in the stock market.

21. (of a painting) not having the illusion of volume or depth.
22. (of a photograph or painting) lacking contrast or gradations of tone or color.
23. (of paint) without gloss; not shiny; mat.
24. not clear, sharp, or ringing, as sound or a voice.
25. lacking resonance and variation in pitch; monotonous:

    a flat delivery of the speech.

26. Music.
    1. (of a tone) lowered a half step in pitch:

       B flat.

    2. below an intended pitch, as a note; too low ( sharp ).
27. Grammar. derived without change in form, as English to brush from the noun brush and adverbs that do not add -ly to the adjective form as fast, cheap, and slow.
28. Phonetics. lenis; voiced.
29. Nautical. (of a sail)
    1. cut with little or no fullness.
    2. trimmed as nearly fore-and-aft as possible, for sailing to windward.
30. flat a, the a -sound (a) of glad, bat, or act.

noun

1. something flat.
2. a shoe, especially a woman's shoe, with a flat heel or no heel.
3. a flat surface, side, or part of anything:

   He struck me with the flat of his hand.

4. flat or level ground; a flat area:

   salt flats.

5. a marsh, shoal, or shallow.
6. Music.
   1. (in musical notation) the character ♭, which when attached to a note or to a staff degree lowers its significance one chromatic half step.
   2. a tone one chromatic half step below another:

      The flat of B is B flat.

   3. (on keyboard instruments, with reference to any given note) the key next below or to the left.
7. Theater. a piece of scenery consisting of a wooden frame, usually rectangular, covered with lightweight board or fabric.
8. a broad, thin book, chiefly for children:

   a juvenile flat.

9. Informal. a deflated automobile tire.
10. (in postal use) a large flat package, as in a manila envelope, for mailing.
11. Architecture. a flat roof or deck.
12. Nautical.
    1. Also called platform. a partial deck between two full decks.
    2. a low, flat barge or lighter.
13. Shipbuilding.
    1. a broad, flat piece of iron or steel for overlapping and joining two plates at their edges.
    2. a straight timber in a frame or other assembly of generally curved timbers.
14. an iron or steel bar of rectangular cross section.
15. Textiles. one of a series of laths covered with card clothing, used in conjunction with the cylinder in carding.
16. Photography. one or more negatives or positives in position to be reproduced.
17. Printing. a device for holding a negative or positive flat for reproduction by photoengraving.
18. Horticulture. a shallow, lidless box or tray used for rooting seeds and cuttings and for growing young plants.
19. a similar box used for shipping and selling fruits and vegetables.
20. Football. the area of the field immediately inside of or outside of an offensive end, close behind or at the line of scrimmage.
21. flats, Informal. flat races between horses. Compare flat race ( def ).

verb (used with object)

, flat·ted, flat·ting.

1. to make flat.
2. Music. to lower (a pitch), especially one half step.

verb (used without object)

, flat·ted, flat·ting.

1. to become flat.

adverb

1. in a flat position; horizontally; levelly.
2. in a flat manner; positively; absolutely.
3. completely; utterly:

   flat broke.

4. exactly; precisely:

   She ran around the track in two minutes flat.

5. Music. below the true pitch:

   to sing flat.

6. Finance. without interest.

verb phrase

1. Nautical. to pull the clew of (a fore-and-aft sail) as nearly amidships as possible. Also flatten in.

flat

²

[ flat ]

noun

, Chiefly British.

1. an apartment or suite of rooms on one floor forming a residence.

flat

¹

/ flæt /

adjective

1. horizontal; level

   flat ground

   a flat roof

2. even or smooth, without projections or depressions

   a flat surface

3. lying stretched out at full length; prostrate

   he lay flat on the ground

4. having little depth or thickness; shallow

   a flat dish

5. postpositiveoften foll byagainst having a surface or side in complete contact with another surface

   flat against the wall

6. spread out, unrolled, or levelled
7. (of a tyre) deflated, either partially or completely
8. (of shoes) having an unraised or only slightly raised heel
9. 1. (of races, racetracks, or racecourses) not having obstacles to be jumped
   2. of, relating to, or connected with flat racing as opposed to steeplechasing and hurdling

      flat jockeys earn more

10. without qualification; total

    a flat denial

11. without possibility of change; fixed

    a flat rate

12. prenominal or immediately postpositive neither more nor less; exact

    a flat thirty minutes

    he did the journey in thirty minutes flat

13. unexciting or lacking point or interest

    a flat joke

14. without variation or resonance; monotonous

    a flat voice

15. (of food) stale or tasteless
16. (of beer, sparkling wines, etc) having lost effervescence, as by exposure to air
17. (of trade, business, a market, etc) commercially inactive; sluggish
18. (of a battery) fully discharged; dead
19. (of a print, photograph, or painting) lacking contrast or shading between tones
20. (of paint) without gloss or lustre; matt
21. (of a painting) lacking perspective
22. (of lighting) diffuse
23. music
    1. immediately postpositive denoting a note of a given letter name (or the sound it represents) that has been lowered in pitch by one chromatic semitone

       B flat

    2. (of an instrument, voice, etc) out of tune by being too low in pitch Compare sharp
24. phonetics another word for lenis
25. flat a
    phonetics the vowel sound of a as in the usual US or S Brit pronunciation of hand, cat , usually represented by the symbol (æ)

adverb

1. in or into a prostrate, level, or flat state or position

   he held his hand out flat

2. completely or utterly; absolutely

   he went flat against the rules

3. exactly; precisely

   in three minutes flat

4. music
   1. lower than a standard pitch
   2. too low in pitch Compare sharp

      she sings flat

5. fall flat
   to fail to achieve a desired effect, etc
6. flat out informal.
   1. with the maximum speed or effort
   2. totally exhausted

noun

1. a flat object, surface, or part
2. often plural a low-lying tract of land, esp a marsh or swamp
3. often plural a mud bank exposed at low tide
4. music
   1. an accidental that lowers the pitch of the following note by one chromatic semitone Usual symbol
   2. a note affected by this accidental Compare sharp
5. theatre a rectangular wooden frame covered with painted canvas, etc, used to form part of a stage setting
6. a punctured car tyre
7. the flat
   (often cap.)
   1. flat racing, esp as opposed to steeplechasing and hurdling
   2. the season of flat racing
8. nautical a flatboat or lighter
9. a shallow box or container, used for holding plants, growing seedlings, etc

verb

1. to make or become flat
2. music the usual US word for flatten

flat

²

/ flæt /

noun

1. a set of rooms comprising a residence entirely on one floor of a building Usual US and Canadian nameapartment
2. a portion of a house used as separate living quarters
3. a house shared with people who are not members of one's own family

verb

1. to live in a flat (with someone)

Derived Forms

• ˈflatness, noun
• ˈflatly, adverb

Other Words From

• flat·ly adverb
• flat·ness noun
• un·flat·ted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of flat¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Old Norse flatr; akin to Old English flet “the ground, a floor of a house,” Greek platýs “wide, broad”; flat ²; plate

Origin of flat²

First recorded in 1795–1805; variant of obsolete flet, from Old English; flat ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of flat¹

C14: from Old Norse flatr ; related to Old High German flaz flat, Greek platus flat, broad

Origin of flat²

Old English flett floor, hall, house; related to flat ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. fall flat, to fail to produce the desired effect; fail completely:

   His attempts at humor fell flat.

2. flat aft, Nautical. trimmed so that fore-and-aft sails present as flat a surface as possible, as in sailing close to the wind.
3. flat out, Informal.
   1. without hesitation; directly or openly:

      He told us flat out he'd been a double agent.

   2. at full speed or with maximum effort.
4. flat on one's back. back ¹( def 48 ).

More idioms and phrases containing flat

• caught flat-footed
• fall flat
• in no time (nothing flat)
• leave flat

Synonym Study

See level.

Example Sentences

Jack Mwiimbu said the MP was arrested by Zimbabwean police at a flat he had been renting and would remain there pending extradition formalities.

From BBC

Hsiao’s handmade ceramics and figurines, many of which she cuts out using a cardboard template after rolling the clay flat with a slab roller, exhibit a playful style that is thoroughly her own.

From Los Angeles Times

After being intimidated out of east Belfast, the family moved to west Belfast and set up home in the Divis flats on the Falls Road.

From BBC

“Returns in the market have been flat or decreasing over the last decade,” said Michael Moses, who tracks the investment potential of artworks for clients.

From New York Times

The specimen is complete with nearly every single bone preserved and unusually, it is preserved in three dimensions, where most pterosaurs tend to be crushed flat.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• bland
• dead
• lifeless
• stale
• weak