1
: in a blunt and direct manner : openly
called flat out for revolution—
Nat'l Review
Nat'l Review2
: at top speed or peak performance
the car does 180 m.p.h. flat out
3
usually flat-out
: absolutely, downright
—usually used as an intensive
is just flat-out confusing
Examples of flat-out in a Sentence
Adjective
regarded their son-in-law as a flat-out loser and let him know it
Adverb
I told him flat out that I have no intention of marrying him.
We asked for more time but they refused us flat out.
The car does 180 mph flat out.
Recent Examples on the Web
Liam Tharme, New York Times, 28 June 2025
Antonelli managed to get his first career podium finish and showed that the Mercedes car was flat-out better than the rest of the field.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 June 2025
Dalton Ross, EW.com, 22 May 2025
Norris appeared to pick up his pace and the top three appeared to be driving flat out.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flat-out
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
Sprinting might look flat-out from the start but athletes need to build through the phases.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 28 June 2025
Antonelli managed to get his first career podium finish and showed that the Mercedes car was flat-out better than the rest of the field.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 June 2025
Adverb
Credit Eva flat out for just being able to do that.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 22 May 2025
Norris appeared to pick up his pace and the top three appeared to be driving flat out.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flat-out
Cite this Entry
“Flat-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flat-out. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share