1
: in a blunt and direct manner : openly
… called flat out for revolution.—
National Review
National 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
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2025
The easiest thing to do when a client flat-out refuses to change anything is to go to the apartment 25 minutes before a showing with a big duffle bag of cleaning supplies.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 1 Dec. 2025
Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
Over the lifetime of Housewives as an institution, the various casts have found different ways to acknowledge, allude to, and flat out break the fourth wall.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flat-out
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Adjective
Meanwhile, a team of flat-out-astounding camera-handlers and stagehands flurried around her like puppeteers around a hypercomplex marionette, turning an almost-empty stage into a Technicolor whirlwind of character and story.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2025
The easiest thing to do when a client flat-out refuses to change anything is to go to the apartment 25 minutes before a showing with a big duffle bag of cleaning supplies.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 1 Dec. 2025
Adverb
Police later learned that there were three other eyewitnesses, one of whom flat out refused to discuss the shooting, according to court records.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
Over the lifetime of Housewives as an institution, the various casts have found different ways to acknowledge, allude to, and flat out break the fourth wall.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 1 Dec. 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 15 Dec. 2025.
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