flat

adjective

\ ˈflat

flatter; flattest

Definition of flat

(Entry 1 of 4)

1a : lying at full length or spread out upon the ground : prostrate The soldiers were lying flat on the ground.

b : utterly ruined or destroyed buildings flat from the blast

c : resting with a surface against something Push the chairs flat against the wall.

2a : having a continuous horizontal surface the flat landscape of the prairie

b : being or characterized by a horizontal line or tracing without peaks or depressions a flat EEG

3 : having a relatively smooth or even surface a flat computer disk

4 : arranged or laid out so as to be level or even maps flat on the desk

5a : having the major surfaces essentially parallel and distinctly greater than the minor surfaces a flat piece of wood

b of a shoe heel : very low and broad flat shoes for work

6a : clearly unmistakable a flat denial

b(1) : not varying : fixed a flat rate

(2) : having no fraction either lacking or in excess : exact in a flat 10 seconds

(3) of a frequency response : not varying significantly throughout its range

7a : lacking in animation, zest, or vigor : dull He spoke in a flat, tired voice.

b : lacking flavor : tasteless The stew is too flat.

c : lacking effervescence or sparkle flat ginger ale

d : commercially inactive also : characterized by no significant rise or decline from one period to another sales were flat

e of a tire : lacking air : deflated

f chiefly British, of a battery : dead sense 3c, discharged

8a(1) of a tone : lowered a half step in pitch

(2) : lower than the proper pitch

b of the vowel a : pronounced as in bad or bat

9a : having a low trajectory (see trajectory sense 1) made a flat pass that was intercepted

b of a tennis stroke : made so as to give little or no spin to the ball

10 : not having an inflectional ending flat adverbs

11 of a sail : taut

12a : uniform in hue or shade figures standing out against a background of flat wash

b : having little or no illusion of depth

c of a photograph or negative : lacking contrast

d of lighting conditions : lacking shadows or contours

e : free from gloss : having a nonreflective finish a flat paint

f : two-dimensional sense 3 flat characters

13 : of, relating to, or used in competition on the flat a flat horse

14 of a universe : having a mass such that expansion halts only after infinite time and collapse never occurs

flat

noun

Definition of flat (Entry 2 of 4)

1a : a level surface of land —usually used in plural sagebrush flatstidal flats

b : a stretch of land without obstacles especially : a track or course for a flat race —usually used with the has won twice on the flat

2 : a flat part or surface the flat of one's hand

3a : a musical note or tone one half step lower than a specified note or tone

b : a character ♭ on a line or space of the musical staff indicating a half step drop in pitch

4 : something flat: such as

a : a shallow container for shipping produce

b : a shallow box in which seedlings are started

c : a flat piece of theatrical scenery

d : a shoe or slipper having a flat heel or no heel

5 chiefly British : an apartment on one floor

6 : a deflated tire

7 : the area to either side of an offensive football formation

flat

adverb

Definition of flat (Entry 3 of 4)

1 : in a flat manner : directly, positively

2 : in a complete manner : absolutely flat broke

3 : below the proper musical pitch

4 : without interest charge especially : without allowance or charge for accrued interest bonds sold flat

flat

verb

flatted; flatting

Definition of flat (Entry 4 of 4)

transitive verb

1 : flatten

2 : to lower in pitch especially by a half step

intransitive verb

: to sing or play below the true pitch

Other Words from flat Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about flat

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Choose the Right Synonym for flat

Adjective

level, flat, plane, even, smooth mean having a surface without bends, curves, or irregularities. level applies to a horizontal surface that lies on a line parallel with the horizon. the vast prairies are nearly level flat applies to a surface devoid of noticeable curvatures, prominences, or depressions. the work surface must be flat plane applies to any real or imaginary flat surface in which a straight line between any two points on it lies wholly within that surface. the plane sides of a crystal even applies to a surface that is noticeably flat or level or to a line that is observably straight. trim the hedge so it is even smooth applies especially to a polished surface free of irregularities. a smooth skating rink

insipid, vapid, flat, jejune, banal, inane mean devoid of qualities that make for spirit and character. insipid implies a lack of sufficient taste or savor to please or interest. an insipid romance with platitudes on every page vapid suggests a lack of liveliness, force, or spirit. an exciting story given a vapid treatment flat applies to things that have lost their sparkle or zest. although well-regarded in its day, the novel now seems flat jejune suggests a lack of rewarding or satisfying substance. a jejune and gassy speech banal stresses the complete absence of freshness, novelty, or immediacy. a banal tale of unrequited love inane implies a lack of any significant or convincing quality. an inane interpretation of the play

Examples of flat in a Sentence

Adjective

the flat top of the table the flat landscape of the prairie Coins are usually round and flat. a flat piece of wood

Noun

the flat of your hand the flat of a sword

Adverb

Lay the map flat on the desk. He slipped and landed flat on his back. We asked for more time but they turned us down flat.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Fur Deluxe makes ballerina slippers from vintage fur, which are perfect alternatives to my ballet-flat uniform in the warmer months! — Anny Choi, Vogue, "Vogue Staffers Pick the Best Shoes to Wear to Work This Winter," 25 Jan. 2019 Against the euro, sterling is flat, with EUR/GBP at 0.90. — WSJ, "European Forex and Fixed Income Market Talk Roundup," 9 Jan. 2019 Otherwise the resulting champagne will either be too flat, or too much pressure will cause the bottle to explode. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "The secret to champagne’s universal appeal is the physics of bubbles," 31 Dec. 2018 According to Honolulu news station KHOU, the airline's fourth fare class will join its lie-flat Premium Cabin seats, Extra Comfort seats with more legroom, and economy Main Cabin seats. — Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler, "Hawaiian Airlines to Fly Basic Economy in 2019," 14 Dec. 2018 To save even more, invest in a large family car with fold-flat seat backs like the Ford EcoSport. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Woman's Day, "9 Surprisingly Easy Ways to Save Money This Weekend," 14 Nov. 2018 Some are flat, with visible branch-like arms, some are hexagonal prisms, and others look like hollow columns. — Discover Magazine, "The Great Snow of Beaver Creek," 3 Oct. 2018 On the Boeing 757-200 model aircraft, like the one flown from Newark to Glasgow, one of the 16 lie-flat business class seats is reserved for as the crew rest area, according to The Points Guy. — Michelle Gant, Fox News, "United pilot seen sleeping during flight was following FAA regulations, reports find," 13 Sep. 2018 Acupressure mats are flat, cushioned rectangles with tiny spikes all over them, which are designed to stimulate pressure points in the neck and back as well as promote a healthy release of endorphins in the brain. — Maria Cassano, Allure, "The 7 Top-Reviewed Acupressure Mats You Can Buy on Amazon," 27 Aug. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Janelle Okwodu, Senior Fashion News Writer Little Bally flats. — Anny Choi, Vogue, "Vogue Staffers Pick the Best Shoes to Wear to Work This Winter," 25 Jan. 2019 Rothy’s, a shoe brand founded in 2012, sells flats, loafers, and sneakers made from old water bottles. — Eliza Brooke, Vox, "Why brands are making new clothes out of old plastic," 24 Oct. 2018 From plaid coats to faux leather skirts; leopard flats and bright red handbags alike, Amazon might just become one of your favorite places to shop. — Avery Matera, Teen Vogue, "Amazon Fashion Items Everyone Will Be Buying This Fall," 12 Oct. 2018 Model Paloma Elsesser looking like pure money, quite literally, in a pair of dollar bill covered Supreme pants with green Chanel ballet flats. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "The 13 Best Fashion Instagrams of the Week: Tracee Ellis Ross, Kali Uchis, and More," 13 Oct. 2018 While Maison Margiela’s patent leather loafers prove that sensible flats needn’t be boring (they can be festooned with beautiful silk scarves). — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, "His, Hers, Ours: Chic Cold-Weather Basics Beloved by All," 3 Jan. 2019 Part of the building collapsed, destroying 48 flats. ... — Georgi Kantchev, WSJ, "Rescue Bid Continues Following Deadly Russian Apartment Blast," 3 Jan. 2019 From alkali flats to scorpions to the cholla cactus that seems to actually leap onto passersby, Nevada is not for the faint of heart. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "Fox News Power Rankings: Dean Heller, survivalist," 19 Sep. 2018 Comfortable jeans and a cute pair of flats will never fail as a travel outfit staple. — Maggie Maloney, Town & Country, "7 Convenient and Comfortable Travel Outfits," 17 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

But before my big chop, my chest-grazing strands would easily fall flat, leaving me to rely on volumizers for any form of thickness. — Allure, "Four Hair-Care Routines That Boost Volume for Thin Strands," 24 Sep. 2018 Prices among flats recently for sale with one major agent range up to £12.5 million for a three-bedroom flat on one of the floors with better views. — Philip Georgiadis, WSJ, "London Property Feels Brexit Sting," 1 Jan. 2019 But Chekatt wasn’t home on Tuesday morning when the police arrived at the fifth-floor flat overlooking a pair of smokestacks and flat-topped houses in the distance. — Jamey Keaten, The Seattle Times, "Strasbourg suspect: From young criminal to fugitive attacker," 12 Dec. 2018 And a stereo camera system called Road Surface Scan looks for upcoming bumps and coordinates with the suspension to keep the body of the car flat. — Ezra Dyer, Popular Mechanics, "Car Shows Used to Be Amazing—And They Might Be Again," 5 Dec. 2018 Finding a stretch of land long enough and flat enough for Bloodhound SSC was not particularly simple. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "Bloodhound SSC: How do you build a car capable of 1,000mph?," 24 Nov. 2018 Lee, a former New York Times reporter and current vice chair of a group that makes recommendations for emoji, Messer's design for the ballet flat made it into the most recent round of updates. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "With This New Ballet Flat Emoji, Women Finally Have a Comfortable Digital Shoe," 9 Nov. 2018 This stone, turned up on its edge rather than lying flat, weighs in at two tons. — James Lynch, Popular Mechanics, "The Two-Ton Stone That's Made Tequila for Centuries," 28 Nov. 2018 Big Mouth occasionally leans too heavily on absurdist humor, and some of its gags and characters regularly fall flat, but the writers take much bigger risks than Groening does in Disenchantment. — Samantha Nelson, The Verge, "Disenchantment lacks the magic of Netflix’s other animated originals," 7 Aug. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

And his board can reach tighter, shallower spots and motor-free zones that flats boats can’t. — John Clarke, WSJ, "The New Fishing Vessel of Choice? Stand-Up Paddleboards," 15 Aug. 2018 Get ready to kiss your little leopard flats goodbye because camo-print loafers are going to be your go-to, everyday shoe for sure! — Jasmine Snow, Seventeen, "Fashion Trends," 12 June 2013 Instead, the cycling startup wants to bring to bear a new strategy that gets rid of the bike rack, and perhaps more audaciously, allows members to flat-out own the bikes and make money off each rental. — John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, "In This Bike-Sharing Plan, You Buy a $1,000 Cycle and Rent It Yourself," 13 Mar. 2015 Meghan has been seen in Sarah Flint’s Natalie flats on a number of occasions, including her first official appearance with Prince Harry, at the Toronto Invictus Games in 2017. — Tamara Abraham, Harper's BAZAAR, "Shop the Shoe Brand Meghan Markle Swears By," 18 May 2018 At fault, a toxic troika that combines gushing supply with fears that long-term demand will flat-line as electric vehicles and renewable energies grow, and climate change policies proliferate. — Kevin Crowley And Kelly Gilblom, Houston Chronicle, "Can Big Oil win back investors?," 24 Apr. 2018 There's one more option: Trump could flat-out refuse to talk to Mueller in any way and refuse a grand jury subpoena. — Danny Cevallos, NBC News, "Mueller wants to hear from Trump. What could possibly go wrong?," 6 Feb. 2018 The Beverly Hills flats property is repped by a pair of agents: Jade Mills of Coldwell Banker and Gregg Silver of Keller Williams Realty, both in Beverly Hills. — Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, "Leeza Gibbons Lists Beverly Hills Home for $18.5 Million," 29 Jan. 2018 In contrast to the double digit gains for S&P 500 company profits, DeSanctis said the small cap S&P 600 was expected to see earnings decline 2.5%, a number that could be closer to flat, when counting companies that have already reported. — Patti Domm, USA TODAY, "Small caps could be sending a warning for the whole stock market," 8 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'flat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of flat

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

1531, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1604, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

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More Definitions for flat

flat

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of flat

(Entry 1 of 3)

: having a smooth, level, or even surface : not having curves or bumps

: having a wide, smooth surface and little thickness

of a shoe heel : very low and wide also, of a shoe : having a flat heel or no heel

flat

noun

English Language Learners Definition of flat (Entry 2 of 3)

: a level area of land

: a flat part or surface

: a musical note that is one semitone lower than a specified note

flat

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of flat (Entry 3 of 3)

: on or against a flat surface

: in the position of someone or something that is lying spread out on the ground or another surface

: exactly or precisely

See the full definition for flat in the English Language Learners Dictionary

flat

adjective

\ ˈflat

flatter; flattest

Kids Definition of flat

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : having a smooth level surface a flat rock

2 : spread out on or along a surface He was lying flat on his back.

3 : having a broad smooth surface and little thickness A CD is flat.

4 : very clear and definite a flat refusal

5 : not changing in amount I charge a flat rate.

6 : not showing active business Sales are flat.

7 : dull entry 1 sense 3 a flat story She spoke in a flat, tired voice.

8 : having lost air a flat tire

9 : no longer having bubbles flat ginger ale

10 : lower than the true musical pitch

11 : lower by a half step in music

12 : not shiny flat paint

flat

noun

Kids Definition of flat (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : a level area of land : plain

2 : a flat part or surface the flat of the hand

3 : a note or tone that is a half step lower than the note named

4 : a sign ♭ meaning that the pitch of a musical note is to be lower by a half step

5 : a tire that has lost air

flat

adverb

Kids Definition of flat (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : on or against a flat surface lie flat

2 : without any time more or less : exactly ten seconds flat

3 : below the true musical pitch

flat

adjective

\ ˈflat

flatter; flattest

Medical Definition of flat

1 : being or characterized by a horizontal line or tracing without peaks or depressions the EEG is ominously flat indicating that her brain function is gone— Don Gold

2 : characterized by general impoverishment in the presence of emotion-evoking stimuli flat affect often occurs in schizophrenia