flat
1
[ flat ]
/ flæt /
adjective, flat·ter, flat·test.
horizontally level: a flat roof.
level, even, or without unevenness of surface, as land or tabletops.
having a surface that is without marked projections or depressions: a broad, flat face.
lying horizontally and at full length, as a person; prostrate: He was flat on the canvas after the knockdown.
lying wholly on or against something: The banner was flat against the wall.
thrown down, laid low, or level with the ground, as fallen trees or buildings.
having a generally level shape or appearance; not deep or thick: a flat plate.
(of the heel of a shoe) low and broad.
spread out, as an unrolled map or the open hand.
deflated; collapsed: a flat tire.
absolute, downright, or positive; without qualification: a flat denial.
without modification or variation: a flat rate.
Informal.
lacking money; broke.
without vitality or animation; lifeless; dull: flat writing.
having lost its flavor, sharpness, or life, as wine or food; stale.
(of a beverage) having lost its effervescence.
without flavor; not spiced: flat cooking.
prosaic, banal, or insipid: a flat style.
pointless, as a remark or joke.
commercially inactive: a flat day in the stock market.
(of a painting) not having the illusion of volume or depth.
(of a photograph or painting) lacking contrast or gradations of tone or color.
(of paint) without gloss; not shiny; mat.
not clear, sharp, or ringing, as sound or a voice.
lacking resonance and variation in pitch; monotonous: a flat delivery of the speech.
Music.
- (of a tone) lowered a half step in pitch: B flat.
- below an intended pitch, as a note; too low (opposed to sharp).
Grammar.
derived without change in form, as English to brush from the noun brush and adverbs that do not add -ly to the adjective form as fast, cheap, and slow.
Phonetics.
lenis; voiced.
Nautical. (of a sail)
- cut with little or no fullness.
- trimmed as nearly fore-and-aft as possible, for sailing to windward.
flat a,
the a-sound (a) of glad, bat, or act.
noun
something flat.
a shoe, especially a woman's shoe, with a flat heel or no heel.
a flat surface, side, or part of anything: He struck me with the flat of his hand.
flat or level ground; a flat area: salt flats.
a marsh, shoal, or shallow.
Music.
- (in musical notation) the character ♭, which when attached to a note or to a staff degree lowers its significance one chromatic half step.
- a tone one chromatic half step below another: The flat of B is B flat.
- (on keyboard instruments, with reference to any given note) the key next below or to the left.
Theater.
a piece of scenery consisting of a wooden frame, usually rectangular, covered with lightweight board or fabric.
a broad, thin book, chiefly for children: a juvenile flat.
Informal.
a deflated automobile tire.
(in postal use) a large flat package, as in a manila envelope, for mailing.
Architecture.
a flat roof or deck.
Nautical.
- Also called platform. a partial deck between two full decks.
- a low, flat barge or lighter.
Shipbuilding.
- a broad, flat piece of iron or steel for overlapping and joining two plates at their edges.
- a straight timber in a frame or other assembly of generally curved timbers.
an iron or steel bar of rectangular cross section.
Textiles.
one of a series of laths covered with card clothing, used in conjunction with the cylinder in carding.
Photography.
one or more negatives or positives in position to be reproduced.
Printing.
a device for holding a negative or positive flat for reproduction by photoengraving.
Horticulture.
a shallow, lidless box or tray used for rooting seeds and cuttings and for growing young plants.
a similar box used for shipping and selling fruits and vegetables.
Football.
the area of the field immediately inside of or outside of an offensive end, close behind or at the line of scrimmage.
verb (used with object), flat·ted, flat·ting.
to make flat.
Music.
to lower (a pitch), especially one half step.
verb (used without object), flat·ted, flat·ting.
to become flat.
adverb
in a flat position; horizontally; levelly.
in a flat manner; positively; absolutely.
completely; utterly: flat broke.
exactly; precisely: She ran around the track in two minutes flat.
Music.
below the true pitch: to sing flat.
Finance.
without interest.
Verb Phrases
flat in, Nautical.
to pull the clew of (a fore-and-aft sail) as nearly amidships as possible.
Also flatten in.
Idioms for flat
fall flat,
to fail to produce the desired effect; fail completely: His attempts at humor fell flat.
flat aft, Nautical.
trimmed so that fore-and-aft sails present as flat a surface as possible, as in sailing close to the wind.
- without hesitation; directly or openly: He told us flat out he'd been a double agent.
- at full speed or with maximum effort.
flat on one's back.
back1(def 47).
flat out, Informal.
Origin of flat
1SYNONYMS FOR flat
4 low, prone.
11 outright, peremptory, categorical.
14 boring, spiritless, prosaic.
17 vapid, unsavory.
ANTONYMS FOR flat
OTHER WORDS FROM flat
flat·ly, adverb flat·ness, noun un·flat·ted, adjectiveWords nearby flat
flashpacker,
flashtube,
flashy,
flask,
flasket,
flat,
flat arch,
flat as a pancake,
flat back,
flat bond,
flat bone
Words related to flatness
Example sentences from the Web for flatness
The incommunicable thrill of things, that is the tuning-fork by which we test the flatness of our art.
Must Read Novels: Ballard, Dybek, and Krasznahorkai |Jacob Silverman, Malcolm Forbes, John McIntyre |April 23, 2012 |DAILY BEASTWould a cup set on its flatness, Mr. Cheermon, with rich a handle as k to it?
K. K. K. Sketches, Humorous and Didactic |James Melville BeardThe flatness of the valley's mouth presently changes into a gentle slope.
The Alps |Martin ConwayThe crumbling, cliff-like bank on her left showed a rent in which a faint track rose sharply to the flatness beyond.
The Garden Of Allah |Robert Hichens
The results of percussion are significant in the movement it causes in the fluid, and for the resonance or flatness it produces.
The flatness of their country afforded no chance for painting fine landscapes.
British Dictionary definitions for flatness (1 of 2)
flat
1
/ (flæt) /
adjective flatter or flattest
horizontal; level
flat ground; a flat roof
even or smooth, without projections or depressions
a flat surface
lying stretched out at full length; prostrate
he lay flat on the ground
having little depth or thickness; shallow
a flat dish
(postpositive often foll by against)
having a surface or side in complete contact with another surface
flat against the wall
spread out, unrolled, or levelled
(of a tyre) deflated, either partially or completely
(of shoes) having an unraised or only slightly raised heel
mainly British
- (of races, racetracks, or racecourses) not having obstacles to be jumped
- of, relating to, or connected with flat racing as opposed to steeplechasing and hurdlingflat jockeys earn more
without qualification; total
a flat denial
without possibility of change; fixed
a flat rate
(prenominal or immediately postpositive)
neither more nor less; exact
he did the journey in thirty minutes flat; a flat thirty minutes
unexciting or lacking point or interest
a flat joke
without variation or resonance; monotonous
a flat voice
(of food) stale or tasteless
(of beer, sparkling wines, etc) having lost effervescence, as by exposure to air
(of trade, business, a market, etc) commercially inactive; sluggish
(of a battery) fully discharged; dead
(of a print, photograph, or painting) lacking contrast or shading between tones
(of paint) without gloss or lustre; matt
(of a painting) lacking perspective
(of lighting) diffuse
music
- (immediately postpositive) denoting a note of a given letter name (or the sound it represents) that has been lowered in pitch by one chromatic semitoneB flat
- (of an instrument, voice, etc) out of tune by being too low in pitchCompare sharp (def. 12)
phonetics another word for lenis
flat a phonetics
the vowel sound of a as in the usual US or S Brit pronunciation of hand, cat, usually represented by the symbol (æ)
adverb
in or into a prostrate, level, or flat state or position
he held his hand out flat
completely or utterly; absolutely
he went flat against the rules
exactly; precisely
in three minutes flat
music
- lower than a standard pitch
- too low in pitchshe sings flat Compare sharp (def. 18)
fall flat
to fail to achieve a desired effect, etc
flat out informal
- with the maximum speed or effort
- totally exhausted
noun
a flat object, surface, or part
(often plural)
a low-lying tract of land, esp a marsh or swamp
(often plural)
a mud bank exposed at low tide
music
- an accidental that lowers the pitch of the following note by one chromatic semitoneUsual symbol: ♭
- a note affected by this accidentalCompare sharp (def. 19)
theatre
a rectangular wooden frame covered with painted canvas, etc, used to form part of a stage setting
a punctured car tyre
the flat mainly British ((often cap.))
- flat racing, esp as opposed to steeplechasing and hurdling
- the season of flat racing
nautical
a flatboat or lighter
US and Canadian
a shallow box or container, used for holding plants, growing seedlings, etc
verb flats, flatting or flatted
to make or become flat
music the usual US word for flatten (def. 3)
See also
flats
Derived forms of flat
flatly, adverb flatness, nounWord Origin for flat
C14: from Old Norse
flatr; related to Old High German
flaz flat, Greek
platus flat, broad
British Dictionary definitions for flatness (2 of 2)
flat
2
/ (flæt) /
noun
a set of rooms comprising a residence entirely on one floor of a building
Usual US and Canadian name: apartment
British and NZ
a portion of a house used as separate living quarters
NZ
a house shared with people who are not members of one's own family
verb flats, flatting or flatted (intr)
Australian and NZ
to live in a flat (with someone)
Word Origin for flat
Old English
flett floor, hall, house; related to
flat
1
Idioms and Phrases with flatness
flat
In addition to the idioms beginning with flat
- flat as a pancake
- flat broke
- flat on one's back
- flat out
also see:
- caught flat-footed
- fall flat
- in no time (nothing flat)
- leave flat