adjective | adverb | noun
flatflat1 /flæt/ ●●● S2 W2 adjective (comparative flatter, superlative flattest) 1
SURFACE smooth and level, without raised or hollow areas, and not sloping or curving: Stack the crepes on a flat plate. You need to work on a clean flat surface. That part of the state is as flat as a pancake (=very flat).THESAURUSlevel – flat and having no part higher than any other part: Make sure the shelves are level.smooth – having a surface without any holes or raised areas. Used to talk about how something feels when you touch it: Sand the wood until it is smooth.even – level and smooth: The floor should be even before laying tiles.horizontal – straight, flat, and not sloping: The horizontal layers of rock were each a slightly different color.2TIRE/BALL a tire or ball that is flat has no air or not enough air inside it: Can you change a flat tire?3NOT DEEP not very deep, thick, or high, especially in comparison to its width or length: They bought a flat screen TV. The cake came out of the oven flat, not fluffy.4DRINK a drink that is flat does not taste fresh because it has no more bubbles of gas in it: This soda is completely flat.5MUSICAL SOUND eng. lang. arts a musical note that is flat is played or sung slightly lower than it should be: The horn was a little flat.6E flat/B flat/A flat etc. eng. lang. arts a musical note that is one half step lower than the note E, B, A, etc.7a flat rate/price/fee etc. a flat rate, price, amount of money, etc. that you pay that does not change or have anything added to it: We charge a flat fee of $2 a day for each DVD.8BUSINESS/TRADE social studies, economics if prices, economic conditions, trade, etc. are flat, they have not increased or gotten better over a period of time: Home prices have stayed flat for the past year.9NOT INTERESTING [not before noun] a performance, book, etc. that is flat seems fairly boring: The first episode of the show was flat and boring.10VOICE not showing much emotion, or not changing much in sound as you speak: “He’s dead,” she said in a flat voice.11a flat refusal/denial etc. something you say that is definite and that you will definitely not change: Our requests were met with a flat refusal.12be flat on your back a)to be lying down so that all of your back is touching the floor or the ground: Arthur was flat on his back under the car. b)to be very sick so that you have to stay in bed for a period of time: I’ve been flat on my back with the flu all week.13SHOES flat shoes have very low heels14LIGHT eng. lang. arts having little variety of light and dark: Flat lighting is typical of Avedon’s portraits.[Origin: 1200–1300 Old Norse flatr]—flatness noun [uncountable] adjective | adverb | noun
flatflat2 ●●○ adverb 1IN FLAT POSITION in a straight position or stretched against a flat surface: Put your hands flat on the floor. I have to lie flat on my back when I sleep. My first time out on the ice I fell flat on my face (=fell so I was lying on my chest).2MUSIC eng. lang. arts if you sing or play music flat, you sing or play slightly lower than the correct note so that it sounds bad3in ten seconds/two minutes etc. flat informal in exactly ten seconds, two minutes, etc.: I was out of the house in ten minutes flat.4fall flat informal a)if a joke or story falls flat, people are not amused by it: His little joke fell flat. b)if something you have planned falls flat, it is unsuccessful or does not have the result you wanted: A lot of people expected the team to fall flat on its face (=be unsuccessful in an embarrassing way).5be flat broke informal to have no money at all6flat out informal a)as fast as possible: They were working flat out to get the job done on time. b)completely, or in a direct way: He said flat out that he thought I was lying. adjective | adverb | noun
flatflat3 noun [countable] 1a tire that does not have enough air inside it2eng. lang. arts a)a musical note that is one half step lower than a particular note b)the sign (♭) in written music that shows that a note is one half step lower than a particular note3flats [plural] a)a pair of women’s shoes with very low heels b)an area of land that is at a low level, especially near water: the mud flats near the beach4the flat of something the flat part or flat side of something: She hit me with the flat of her hand.5British an apartment