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
Chris Brennan, USA Today, 13 June 2025
The same goes for a grind that will flat-out increase your damage with certain weapons over the course of a season.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 9 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.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
But the real lesson here is clear – Musk switched from pique to meek because Trump flat-out threatened to use the power of the federal government to stifle and punish a critic, even if Musk did spend more than a quarter of a billion dollars to help Trump retake the presidency last year.
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 13 June 2025
The same goes for a grind that will flat-out increase your damage with certain weapons over the course of a season.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 9 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 30 Jun. 2025.
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