flat-out

1 of 2

adjective

1
: being or going at maximum effort or speed
2
: out-and-out, downright
it was a flat-out lie

flat out

2 of 2

adverb

1
: in a blunt and direct manner : openly
called flat out for revolutionNat'l Review
2
: 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

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
Adjective
Biden sought to spotlight the necessity of a bipartisan border security bill that was tanked by Republicans on Trump's orders, and flat-out asked the Republican frontrunner to join him in supporting a congressional push for more funding and tighter restrictions. Seung Min Kim, arkansasonline.com, 1 Mar. 2024 Being a floor spacer in today's league is flat-out crucial, and any stagnation or regression in that area immediately takes the above scenario of being a full-time starter off the table. Morten Stig Jensen, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 California is flat-out unaffordable, and its policies enable crime, force companies to flee, and are spurring more families to pack their bags than ever before. Scott Wilk, Orange County Register, 4 Feb. 2024 Not kind of a choker, or choker adjacent, but a flat-out choker. Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024 Dimon repeatedly has expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of remote work and flat-out discarded it as a possibility for managers. María Soledad Davila Calero, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2024 Or that sand from rivers and lakebeds, not coastal areas, is ideal for building, and builders who skimp on better sand end up constructing buildings that are flat-out dangerous (just look at the destruction in Turkey and Syria from the February 2023 earthquake, one expert tells Taylor). Longreads, 26 Jan. 2024 The Vision Pro launches on February 2nd, and there are sure to be some good, bad, and flat-out weird apps in the weeks and months to come. Jay Peters, The Verge, 18 Jan. 2024 The lure is simply a flat-out, fish-catching legend. Mark Modoski, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
Adverb
Still, some Senate Republicans had reservations about moving forward with the aid package without border security provisions, while others rejected the package flat out, throwing the legislation's path forward into question. Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2024 Babies are constantly lifting the bib up, tugging it off, and just flat out dipping their sleeves in their food. Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 1 Feb. 2024 Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said flat out that the bill is going nowhere. Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 6 Feb. 2024 Anthony Edwards flat out declined to shoot for much of the night, instead choosing to bump up his assist tally while focusing on getting Towns as many points as possible. Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 23 Jan. 2024 Birch Benders Organic Buttermilk Pancake & Waffle Mix Fresh grains, a big hit of tangy buttermilk and just a touch of sugar make these moist, fluffy pancakes flat out delicious. Jolene Thym, The Mercury News, 11 Jan. 2024 Vivek Ramaswamy ends 2024 campaign after disappointing in Iowa Turnout sinks amid terrible weather Turnout was flat out lousy in Iowa Monday, which saw sub-zero temperatures. Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 15 Jan. 2024 Singing and playing guitar for this iconic band has been a lifetime opportunity and just flat out, absolutely epic. Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 18 Dec. 2023 OregonLive: If Cal and Stanford are out of the mix, does keeping the Pac-12 as an entity, because of remaining assets, make more sense than flat out joining the Mountain West or AAC? Murthy: There are many attractive things about the Pac-12. Ndaschel, oregonlive, 26 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flat-out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1906, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1932, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of flat-out was in 1906

Dictionary Entries Near flat-out

Cite this Entry

“Flat-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flat-out. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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