释义 |
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024flat•ter1 /ˈflætɚ/USA pronunciation v. - to praise or compliment insincerely or excessively: [~ + object]He always flatters her by constantly praising her looks.
- to please or gratify by compliments or attentions:[~ + object* usually: be + ~-ed]I was flattered by the invitation.
- to represent or show favorably, esp. too favorably:[~ + object]The portrait flatters her.
- to feel satisfaction with (oneself ), sometimes mistakenly:[~ + oneself + that clause]He flattered himself that the speech had gone well.
flat•ter•ing, adj. WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024flat•ter1 (flat′ər),USA pronunciation v.t. - to try to please by complimentary remarks or attention.
- to praise or compliment insincerely, effusively, or excessively:She flatters him by constantly praising his books.
- to represent favorably;
gratify by falsification:The portrait flatters her. - to show to advantage:a hairstyle that flatters the face.
- to play upon the vanity or susceptibilities of;
cajole, wheedle, or beguile:They flattered him into contributing heavily to the foundation. - to please or gratify by compliments or attentions:I was flattered by their invitation.
- to feel satisfaction with (oneself ), esp. with reference to an accomplishment, act, or occasion:He flattered himself that the dinner had gone well.
- to beguile with hope;
encourage prematurely, falsely, etc. v.i. - to use flattery.
- Frankish *flat- flat1)
- 1175–1225; Middle English flat(t)eren to float, flutter, fawn upon, Old English floterian to float, flutter; for sense development, compare flicker1, Old Norse flathra; reinforced by Old French flatter to flatter, literally, to stroke, caress (probably
flat′ter•a•ble, adj. flat′ter•er, n. flat′ter•ing•ly, adv. flat•ter2 (flat′ər),USA pronunciation n. - a person or thing that makes something flat.
- a flat-faced blacksmith's tool, laid on a forging and struck with a hammer to smooth the surface of the forging.
- a drawplate with a flat orifice for drawing flat metal strips, as for watch springs.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: flatter /ˈflætə/ vb - to praise insincerely, esp in order to win favour or reward
- to show to advantage: that dress flatters her
- (transitive) to make to appear more attractive, etc, than in reality
- to play upon or gratify the vanity of (a person)
- (transitive) to beguile with hope; encourage, esp falsely
- (transitive) to congratulate or deceive (oneself): I flatter myself that I am the best
Etymology: 13th Century: probably from Old French flater to lick, fawn upon, of Frankish originˈflatterable adj ˈflatterer n WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024flat1 /flæt/USA pronunciation adj., flat•ter, flat•test, adv., n. adj. - horizontally level:flat, white roofs on the houses of the Greek town.
- level, even, or smooth in surface, such as land or tabletops:the flat prairie.
- lying horizontally and at full length:flat on the floor.
- not deep, high, or thick:stacks of flat boxes at the pizzeria.
- spread out, as an unrolled map or the open hand:The map was flat on the table.
- with the air out;
deflated; collapsed:a flat tire. - absolute;
downright; complete; definite:[before a noun]issued a flat denial of the charges. - without the possibility of change or variation;
fixed:[before a noun]The hotel charged a flat rate. - lacking vitality or animation:a flat play.
- (of a carbonated beverage) having lost its bubbles:The soda is flat.
- pointless, as a remark or joke:a flat joke.
- (of paint) without gloss;
not shiny; matte. - lacking variation in pitch;
monotonous:answered in a flat, bored voice. - Music and Dance
- [after a letter indicating tone] (of a tone) lowered a half step in pitch:B flat.
- below an intended pitch, such as a note;
too low (opposed to sharp):The chorus was a little flat on that last song.
adv. - in a flat position;
horizontally; levelly:The trees had been laid flat by the hurricane. - completely;
utterly:flat broke until payday. - exactly;
precisely:[after a measurement of time]I got there in two minutes flat. - Music and Dancebelow the true pitch:to sing flat.
n. [countable] - Clothinga woman's shoe with a very low heel or no heel.
- a flat surface, side, or part of anything:She held the stone in the flat of her hand.
- flat or level ground:salt flats.
- Music and Dance
- (in musical notation) the character ♭, which indicates that the pitch of a note is lowered by one half step.
- a tone that is one half step below another.
- an automobile tire that has lost the air.
Idioms- Idioms fall flat, [no object] to fail completely and noticeably:an attempt at humor that fell flat.
- Idioms flat out, [Informal.]
- without hesitation;
directly or openly:The spy told us flat out he had been a double agent. - at full speed or with maximum effort:We drove flat out to get there by afternoon.
flat•ly, adv. flat•ness, n. [uncountable]flat2 /flæt/USA pronunciation n. [countable]- British Termsa residential apartment:rented a flat in the city.
-flat-, root. - -flat- comes from Latin, where it has the meaning "blow;
wind.'' This meaning is found in such words as: deflate, inflate.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024flat1 (flat),USA pronunciation adj., flat•ter, flat•test, n., v., flat•ted, flat•ting, adv. adj. - horizontally level:a flat roof.
- 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).
- [Gram.]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.
- [Phonet.]lenis;
voiced. - [Naut.](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.
- flat aft, [Naut.]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. See back (def. 19).
n. - something flat.
- a shoe, esp. 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.
- [Theat.]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.
- [Archit.]a flat roof or deck.
- [Naut.]
- 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.
- [Photog.]one or more negatives or positives in position to be reproduced.
- [Print.]a device for holding a negative or positive flat for reproduction by photoengraving.
- [Hort.]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. Cf. flat race.
v.t. - to make flat.
- [Music.]to lower (a pitch), esp. one half step.
v.i. - to become flat.
- flat in, [Naut.]to pull the clew of (a fore-and-aft sail) as nearly amidships as possible. Also, flatten in.
adv. - 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.
- Stock Exchange[Finance.]without interest.
- fall flat, to fail to produce the desired effect;
fail completely:His attempts at humor fell flat. - 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.
- Old Norse flatr, akin to Old English flet (see flat2), Greek platýs (see platy-, plate1
- Middle English 1275–1325
flat′ly, adv. flat′ness, n. - 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged plane. See level.
- 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged low, prone.
- 11.See corresponding entry in Unabridged outright, peremptory, categorical.
- 14.See corresponding entry in Unabridged boring, spiritless, prosaic.
- 17.See corresponding entry in Unabridged vapid, unsavory.
- 1, 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged upright, vertical.
- 14.See corresponding entry in Unabridged spirited.
- 17.See corresponding entry in Unabridged savory.
flat2 (flat),USA pronunciation n. - British Terms[Chiefly Brit.]an apartment or suite of rooms on one floor forming a residence.
- 1795–1805; variant of obsolete flet, Old English: floor, house, hall; akin to flat1
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: flat /flæt/ adj (flatter, flattest)- horizontal; level: flat ground, a flat roof
- even or smooth, without projections or depressions: a flat surface
- lying stretched out at full length; prostrate: he lay flat on the ground
- having little depth or thickness; shallow: a flat dish
- (postpositive) often followed by against: having a surface or side in complete contact with another surface: flat against the wall
- (of a tyre) deflated, either partially or completely
- (of shoes) having an unraised or only slightly raised heel
- chiefly Brit (of races, racetracks, or racecourses) not having obstacles to be jumped
- of, relating to, or connected with flat racing as opposed to steeplechasing and hurdling
- without qualification; total: a flat denial
- without possibility of change; fixed: a flat rate
- (prenominal or immediately postpositive) neither more nor less; exact: he did the journey in thirty minutes flat, a flat thirty minutes
- unexciting or lacking point or interest: a flat joke
- without variation or resonance; monotonous: a 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
- (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
- (of an instrument, voice, etc) out of tune by being too low in pitch
Compare sharp - flat a ⇒ the vowel sound of a as in the usual US or S Brit pronunciation of hand, cat, usually represented by the symbol (æ)
adv - in or into a prostrate, level, or flat state or position: he held his hand out flat
- completely or utterly; absolutely
- lower than a standard pitch
- too low in pitch: she sings flat
- fall flat ⇒ to fail to achieve a desired effect, etc
- flat out ⇒ informal with the maximum speed or effort
- totally exhausted
n - 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
- an accidental that lowers the pitch of the following note by one chromatic semitone
Usual symbol: ♭ - a note affected by this accidental
- a rectangular wooden frame covered with painted canvas, etc, used to form part of a stage setting
- a punctured car tyre
- chiefly Brit the flat ⇒ (often cap.) flat racing, esp as opposed to steeplechasing and hurdling
- the season of flat racing
- a flatboat or lighter
- US Canadian a shallow box or container, used for holding plants, growing seedlings, etc
vb (flats, flatting, flatted)- to make or become flat
- the usual US word for flatten
See also flatsEtymology: 14th Century: from Old Norse flatr; related to Old High German flaz flat, Greek platus flat, broadˈflatly adv ˈflatness n flat /flæt/ n - a set of rooms comprising a residence entirely on one floor of a building
Usual US and Canadian name: apartment vb (flats, flatting, flatted)(intransitive)- Austral NZ to live in a flat (with someone)
Etymology: Old English flett floor, hall, house; related to flat1 |