level, even, or without unevenness of surface, as land or tabletops.
having a surface that is without marked projections or depressions: a broad, flat face.
lying horizontally and at full length, as a person; prostrate: He was flat on the canvas after the knockdown.
lying wholly on or against something: The banner was flat against the wall.
thrown down, laid low, or level with the ground, as fallen trees or buildings.
having a generally level shape or appearance; not deep or thick: a flat plate.
(of the heel of a shoe) low and broad.
spread out, as an unrolled map or the open hand.
deflated; collapsed: a flat tire.
absolute, downright, or positive; without qualification: a flat denial.
without modification or variation: a flat rate.
Informal. lacking money; broke.
without vitality or animation; lifeless; dull: flat writing.
having lost its flavor, sharpness, or life, as wine or food; stale.
(of a beverage) having lost its effervescence.
without flavor; not spiced: flat cooking.
prosaic, banal, or insipid: a flat style.
pointless, as a remark or joke.
commercially inactive: a flat day in the stock market.
(of a painting) not having the illusion of volume or depth.
(of a photograph or painting) lacking contrast or gradations of tone or color.
(of paint) without gloss; not shiny; mat.
not clear, sharp, or ringing, as sound or a voice.
lacking resonance and variation in pitch; monotonous: a flat delivery of the speech.
Music.
(of a tone) lowered a half step in pitch: B flat.
below an intended pitch, as a note; too low (opposed to sharp).
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.
Phonetics. lenis; voiced.
Nautical. (of a sail)
cut with little or no fullness.
trimmed as nearly fore-and-aft as possible, for sailing to windward.
flat a,the a-sound (a) of glad, bat, or act.
noun
something flat.
a shoe, especially a woman's shoe, with a flat heel or no heel.
a flat surface, side, or part of anything: He struck me with the flat of his hand.
flat or level ground; a flat area: salt flats.
a marsh, shoal, or shallow.
Music.
(in musical notation) the character ♭, which when attached to a note or to a staff degree lowers its significance one chromatic half step.
a tone one chromatic half step below another: The flat of B is B flat.
(on keyboard instruments, with reference to any given note) the key next below or to the left.
Theater. a piece of scenery consisting of a wooden frame, usually rectangular, covered with lightweight board or fabric.
a broad, thin book, chiefly for children: a juvenile flat.
Informal. a deflated automobile tire.
(in postal use) a large flat package, as in a manila envelope, for mailing.
Architecture. a flat roof or deck.
Nautical.
Also called platform. a partial deck between two full decks.
a low, flat barge or lighter.
Shipbuilding.
a broad, flat piece of iron or steel for overlapping and joining two plates at their edges.
a straight timber in a frame or other assembly of generally curved timbers.
an iron or steel bar of rectangular cross section.
Textiles. one of a series of laths covered with card clothing, used in conjunction with the cylinder in carding.
Photography. one or more negatives or positives in position to be reproduced.
Printing. a device for holding a negative or positive flat for reproduction by photoengraving.
Horticulture. a shallow, lidless box or tray used for rooting seeds and cuttings and for growing young plants.
a similar box used for shipping and selling fruits and vegetables.
Football. the area of the field immediately inside of or outside of an offensive end, close behind or at the line of scrimmage.
flats,Informal. flat races between horses.Compare flat race.
verb (used with object),flat·ted,flat·ting.
to make flat.
Music. to lower (a pitch), especially one half step.
verb (used without object),flat·ted,flat·ting.
to become flat.
adverb
in a flat position; horizontally; levelly.
in a flat manner; positively; absolutely.
completely; utterly: flat broke.
exactly; precisely: She ran around the track in two minutes flat.
Music. below the true pitch: to sing flat.
Finance. without interest.
Verb Phrases
flat in,Nautical. to pull the clew of (a fore-and-aft sail) as nearly amidships as possible.Also flatten in.
Idioms for flat
fall flat, to fail to produce the desired effect; fail completely: His attempts at humor fell flat.
flat aft, Nautical. trimmed so that fore-and-aft sails present as flat a surface as possible, as in sailing close to the wind.
flat on one's back. back1 (def. 48).
flat out, Informal.
without hesitation; directly or openly: He told us flat out he'd been a double agent.
at full speed or with maximum effort.
Origin of flat
1
First recorded in1275–1325; Middle English, from Old Norse flatr, akin to Old English flet (see flat2), Greek platýs (see platy-, plate1
SYNONYMS FOR flat
1 plane.
4 low, prone.
11 outright, peremptory, categorical.
14 boring, spiritless, prosaic.
17 vapid, unsavory.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR flat ON THESAURUS.COM
ANTONYMS FOR flat
1, 4 upright, vertical.
14 spirited.
17 savory.
SEE ANTONYMS FOR flat ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for flat
1. See level.
OTHER WORDS FROM flat
flatly,adverbflatness,nounun·flat·ted,adjective
Words nearby flat
flash unit, flash welding, flashy, flask, flasket, flat, flat arch, flat as a pancake, flat back, flatbed, flat-bed lorry
Definition for flat (2 of 2)
flat2
[ flat ]
/ flæt /
noun
Chiefly British. an apartment or suite of rooms on one floor forming a residence.
Origin of flat
2
1795–1805; variant of obsolete flet,Old English: floor, house, hall; akin to flat1
Print advertisements for Quaker Rice Cakes from that period show thin, grinning models lying on their flat leotard-covered stomachs to emphasize the lightness of rice cakes.
The Rise and Fall of the Rice Cake, America’s One-Time Favorite Health Snack|Brenna Houck|September 17, 2020|Eater
Unlike the flat disk that gave rise to the planets in our own Solar System, the system’s disk consists of three misaligned rings.
A strange dusty disk could hide a planet betwixt three stars|Paola Rosa-Aquino|September 11, 2020|Popular Science
It uses technology well, including flat-screen monitors that connect to the Internet and Bluetooth headphones.
Peloton races to the future, but it’s still no tech company|Adam Lashinsky|September 11, 2020|Fortune
The catch included two tiny species with coiled shells about 1 millimeter across, four midsize species with long, conical or urn-shaped shells of about 7 to 11 millimeters, and one species with a flat shell up to 14 millimeters across.
Sea butterflies’ shells determine how the snails swim|Maria Temming|September 8, 2020|Science News
It combines the functionality of a suitcase and the durability of a duffel, with structured sides and interior pockets for ample gear hauling, a flat-bottom design that enables it to stand, and sturdy, oversize wheels.
Our Favorite Gear for Any Type of Traveler|Janna Irons|September 8, 2020|Outside Online
There were stomachs, taut and flat, but also undulating bellies, soft and bloated from the breakfast buffet.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The program—weirdly—is now under the umbrella of ABC News, and is suffering from flat ratings and an aging demographic.
The Bloodiest Media Coups of 2014|Lloyd Grove|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hitchcock settled in southern California, leaving behind a flat in London and a country house in Shamley Green.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then when we arrive at his flat in Shepherd's Bush following the escape, perhaps there ought to be remnants of the ladder.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In a bizarre twist to proceedings, Miss Manners sought to have her £30 cab fare from her Kensington flat to court refunded.
How A British Aristocrat Used Big Game Hunter’s Sperm To Get Pregnant Without His Permission|Tom Sykes|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The ground fell almost sheer six hundred feet to the flat bottom of the valley.
London to Ladysmith via Pretoria|Winston Spencer Churchill
We also meet with a pentatonic order of intervals in which the Third is flat like in our diatonic minor scale.
Musical Myths and Facts, Volume II (of 2)|Carl Engel
Her nose is as flat as a pancake and she rouges something fierce.
The Gorgeous Girl|Nalbro Bartley
No; Parlyment's a played-out fraud, flabby and footy, flat and faddy.
Punch, Or The London Charivari, Vol. 101, July 25, 1891|Various
When I awoke it was daylight, and a glance through a port-hole showed that we were nearing a flat coast.
The Fortunate Isles|Mary Stuart Boyd
British Dictionary definitions for flat (1 of 2)
flat1
/ (flæt) /
adjectiveflatterorflattest
horizontal; levelflat ground; a flat roof
even or smooth, without projections or depressionsa flat surface
lying stretched out at full length; prostratehe lay flat on the ground
having little depth or thickness; shallowa flat dish
(postpositive often foll by against) having a surface or side in complete contact with another surfaceflat against the wall
spread out, unrolled, or levelled
(of a tyre) deflated, either partially or completely
(of shoes) having an unraised or only slightly raised heel
mainlyBritish
(of races, racetracks, or racecourses) not having obstacles to be jumped
of, relating to, or connected with flat racing as opposed to steeplechasing and hurdlingflat jockeys earn more
without qualification; totala flat denial
without possibility of change; fixeda flat rate
(prenominal or immediately postpositive)neither more nor less; exacthe did the journey in thirty minutes flat; a flat thirty minutes
unexciting or lacking point or interesta flat joke
without variation or resonance; monotonousa flat voice
(of food) stale or tasteless
(of beer, sparkling wines, etc) having lost effervescence, as by exposure to air
(of trade, business, a market, etc) commercially inactive; sluggish
(of a battery) fully discharged; dead
(of a print, photograph, or painting) lacking contrast or shading between tones
(of paint) without gloss or lustre; matt
(of a painting) lacking perspective
(of lighting) diffuse
music
(immediately postpositive)denoting a note of a given letter name (or the sound it represents) that has been lowered in pitch by one chromatic semitoneB flat
(of an instrument, voice, etc) out of tune by being too low in pitchCompare sharp (def. 12)
phonetics another word for lenis
flat aphoneticsthe vowel sound of a as in the usual US or S Brit pronunciation of hand, cat, usually represented by the symbol (æ)
adverb
in or into a prostrate, level, or flat state or positionhe held his hand out flat
completely or utterly; absolutelyhe went flat against the rules
exactly; preciselyin three minutes flat
music
lower than a standard pitch
too low in pitchshe sings flat Compare sharp (def. 18)
fall flatto fail to achieve a desired effect, etc
flat outinformal
with the maximum speed or effort
totally exhausted
noun
a flat object, surface, or part
(often plural)a low-lying tract of land, esp a marsh or swamp
(often plural)a mud bank exposed at low tide
music
an accidental that lowers the pitch of the following note by one chromatic semitoneUsual symbol: ♭
a note affected by this accidentalCompare sharp (def. 19)
theatrea rectangular wooden frame covered with painted canvas, etc, used to form part of a stage setting
a punctured car tyre
the flatmainlyBritish((often cap.))
flat racing, esp as opposed to steeplechasing and hurdling
the season of flat racing
nauticala flatboat or lighter
US and Canadiana shallow box or container, used for holding plants, growing seedlings, etc
verbflats, flattingorflatted
to make or become flat
music the usual US word for flatten (def. 3)
See also flats
Derived forms of flat
flatly, adverbflatness, noun
Word Origin for flat
C14: from Old Norse flatr; related to Old High German flaz flat, Greek platus flat, broad
British Dictionary definitions for flat (2 of 2)
flat2
/ (flæt) /
noun
a set of rooms comprising a residence entirely on one floor of a buildingUsual US and Canadian name: apartment
British and NZa portion of a house used as separate living quarters
NZa house shared with people who are not members of one's own family
verbflats, flattingorflatted(intr)
Australian and NZto live in a flat (with someone)
Word Origin for flat
Old English flett floor, hall, house; related to flat1