flat (flats plural) (flatter comparative) (flattest superlative )
1 n-count A flat is a set of rooms for living in, usually on one floor and part of a larger building. A flat usually includes a kitchen and bathroom.
(mainly BRIT) also N num
(=apartment)
Sara lives with her husband and children in a flat in central London..., It started a fire in a block of flats..., Later on, Victor from flat 10 called.
in AM, usually use apartment
2 adj Something that is flat is level, smooth, or even, rather than sloping, curved, or uneven.
Tiles can be fixed to any surface as long as it's flat, firm and dry..., After a moment his right hand moved across the cloth, smoothing it flat..., The sea was calm, perfectly flat.
3 adj Flat means horizontal and not upright.
ADJ n, v-link ADJ, ADJ after v
Two men near him threw themselves flat..., As heartburn is usually worse when you're lying down in bed, you should avoid lying flat.
4 adj A flat object is not very tall or deep in relation to its length and width.
usu ADJ n
(=shallow)
Ellen is walking down the drive with a square flat box balanced on one hand.
5 adj Flat land is level, with no high hills or other raised parts.
ADJ n, v-link ADJ, ADJ after v
To the north lie the flat and fertile farmlands of the Solway plain..., The landscape became wider, flatter and very scenic...
6 n-count A low flat area of uncultivated land, especially an area where the ground is soft and wet, can be referred to as flats or a flat.
usu pl, usu n N
The salt marshes and mud flats attract large numbers of waterfowl.
7 n-count You can refer to one of the broad flat surfaces of an object as the flat of that object.
usu sing, the N of n
He slammed the counter with the flat of his hand., ...eight cloves of garlic crushed with the flat of a knife.
8 adj Flat shoes have no heels or very low heels.
usu ADJ n
People wear slacks, sweaters, flat shoes, and all manner of casual attire for travel.
Flats are flat shoes. (AM) n-plural
His mother looked ten years younger in jeans and flats.
9 adj A flat tyre, ball, or balloon does not have enough air in it.
10 n-count A flat is a tyre that does not have enough air in it.
Then, after I finally got back on the highway, I developed a flat.
11 adj A drink that is flat is no longer fizzy., (Antonym: fizzy)
Could this really stop the champagne from going flat?
12 adj A flat battery has lost some or all of its electrical charge.
(mainly BRIT)
His car alarm had been going off for two days and, as a result, the battery was flat.
in AM, use dead
13 adj If you have flat feet, the arches of your feet are too low.
The condition of flat feet runs in families.
14 adj A flat denial or refusal is definite and firm, and is unlikely to be changed.
ADJ n
The Foreign Ministry has issued a flat denial of any involvement...
flatly adv usu ADV with v, also ADV adj
He flatly refused to discuss it...
15 adj If you say that something happened, for example, in ten seconds flat or ten minutes flat, you are emphasizing that it happened surprisingly quickly and only took ten seconds or ten minutes.
num n ADJ (emphasis)
You're sitting behind an engine that'll move you from 0 to 60mph in six seconds flat...
16 adj A flat rate, price, or percentage is one that is fixed and which applies in every situation.
ADJ n
(=fixed) (Antonym: variable)
Fees are charged at a flat rate, rather than on a percentage basis..., Sometimes there's a flat fee for carrying out a particular task...
17 adj If trade or business is flat, it is slow and inactive, rather than busy and improving or increasing.
(=sluggish)
During the first eight months of this year, sales of big pickups were up 14% while car sales stayed flat...
18 adj If you describe something as flat, you mean that it is dull and not exciting or interesting.
The past few days have seemed comparatively flat and empty...
19 adj You use flat to describe someone's voice when they are saying something without expressing any emotion.
`Whatever you say,' he said in a deadly flat voice. `I'll sit here and wait.'..., Her voice was flat, with no question or hope in it.
flatly adv ADV after v
I know you,' he said flatly, matter-of-fact, neutral in tone.
20 adj Flat is used after a letter representing a musical note to show that the note should be played or sung half a tone lower than the note which otherwise matches that letter. Flat is often represented by the symbol <flat> after the letter.
n ADJ (Antonym: sharp)
...Schubert's B flat Piano Trio (Opus 99).
21 adv If someone sings flat or if a musical instrument is flat, their singing or the instrument is slightly lower in pitch than it should be.
ADV after v
Her vocal range was, to say the least of it, limited, and she had a distressing tendency to sing flat.
Flat is also an adjective., adj
He had been fired because his singing was flat.
22 If you say that something is as flat as a pancake, you are emphasizing that it is completely flat.
as flat as a pancake phrase v-link PHR (emphasis)
My home state of Illinois is flat as a pancake...
23 If you fall flat on your face, you fall over.
fall flat phrase V inflects, oft PHR on n
A man walked in off the street and fell flat on his face, unconscious.
24 If an event or attempt falls flat or falls flat on its face, it is unsuccessful.
fall flat phrase V inflects
(=fail)
Liz meant it as a joke but it fell flat..., If it wasn't for the main actress, Ellen Barkin, the plot would have fallen flat on its face.
25 If you say that you are flat broke, you mean that you have no money at all.
INFORMAL
flat broke phrase v-link PHR (emphasis)
(=skint)
Two years later he is flat broke and on the dole.
26 If you do something flat out, you do it as fast or as hard as you can.
flat out phrase PHR after v, PHR n
Everyone is working flat out to try to trap those responsible..., They hurtled across the line in a flat-out sprint.
27 You use flat out to emphasize that something is completely the case.
(mainly AM)
INFORMAL
flat out phrase PHR n/adj, PHR with v (emphasis)
That allegation is a flat-out lie...
28 On the flat means on level ground.
on the flat phrase
He had angina and was unable to walk for more than 200 yards on the flat.
29 →
in a flat spin →
spin
flat cap (flat caps plural )A flat cap is the same as a cloth cap.
(mainly BRIT) n-count
flat-footed
1 adj If you are flat-footed, the arches of your feet are too low.
v-link ADJ, ADJ n, ADJ after v
He told me I was flat-footed.
2 adj If you describe a person or action as flat-footed, you think they are clumsy, awkward, or foolish.
ADJ n, v-link ADJ, ADJ after v (disapproval)
...flat-footed writing..., The government could be caught flat-footed.
flat pack (flat packs plural ), flat-pack Flat pack furniture is furniture such as shelves and cupboards which you buy as a number of separate pieces and assemble yourself.
(BRIT) n-count usu N n
flat racing
Flat racing is horse racing which does not involve jumping over fences. n-uncount
