fall flat

phrase

: to produce no response or result

the joke fell flat

Examples of fall flat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Just last year, Nate Bargatze entered Emmys night as a peak-of-fame comedian, and ended the evening as the object of mass audience disgruntlement after a running joke about winners’ lengthy speeches taking money away from children in need fell flat. — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026

Policies fall flat without clear, severe consequences when platforms breach their duty of care or fail to act responsibly. — Erin Mote, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

But when the game still mattered, when the starters were out there, the Panthers fell flat. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 15 Aug. 2026

Shopping itself can be a nightmare, and even with alterations, clothing pieces can fall flat (and, well, frumpy) on a shorter frame. — Olivia Cigliano, InStyle, 14 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for fall flat

• begat
• bobcat
• chitchat
• doormat
• ducat
• eclat
• format
• hazmat
• muskrat
• nonfat
• polecat
• thereat