flat

Less common meanings

14. 14
    lost its fizzadjective

    Of a drink, having lost most of its carbon dioxide so that it no longer fizzes or holds bubbles.

    The champagne had gone flat by the time the toast began.

    She poured out the flat tonic and opened a fresh bottle.

    UsageA drink goes flat when it is left open.

    Similarstale, lifeless, dead

    Oppositefizzy, sparkling, bubbly, effervescent

15. 15
    nouncolloquialcountable

    A tire that has lost its air pressure, typically because of a puncture.

    He changed the flat in the pouring rain by the roadside.

    Two flats in one week left her stranded both times.

    UsageUsually get a flat, fix a flat or change a flat.

    Similarpuncture, blowout

    Note

    An informal clipping of flat tire, which turns the deflated-tire adjective into a noun for the thing itself. It serves bicycles as readily as cars. Richard Williams, reporting on the 2012 Tour de France, has a rider handed a replacement bike that gave him "a second flat" on the descent. Source

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • The tire noun flat is a clipping of flat tire, retaining the original adjective. citeseerx.ist.psu.edu
    • Richard Williams's report on the 2012 Tour de France describes a replacement bicycle giving a rider a second flat at the start of the descent; the quoted wording is exact. theguardian.com
16. 16
    a lowered notenouncountable

    A musical note sounded one semitone lower than the natural note, written with the ♭ symbol.

    He kept missing the flats in the second line, playing B natural where the music called for B flat.

    Hold that flat a little longer before the melody climbs back up.

    Oppositesharp

    Note

    The noun for both the lowered note and its sign, ♭. In writing, the symbol follows the letter name (B♭), but on the page of music it sits in front of the note. Musicians count flats in key signatures, as in the key of E♭ has three flats. The matching adjective is the "lowered a semitone" sense. Source

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • The flat symbol indicates a note lowered by one semitone. en.wikipedia.org
    • The accidental follows a letter name in text but precedes the notehead on a staff. en.wikipedia.org
    • The key signature of E♭ major has three flats. odp.library.tamu.edu
17. 17
    bluntadjective

    Absolute and firm; allowing no argument, exception, or qualification.

    The board issued a flat denial of all the accusations.

    Management met the union's demands with a flat rejection.

    UsageBefore the noun: a flat denial, a flat refusal, a flat no.

    Similaroutright, categorical, absolute, firm, unequivocal

    Oppositequalified, tentative, equivocal

    Note

    An old emphatic use, heard in flat contradiction and in the closing "and that's flat," which shuts a refusal like a door. Shakespeare's Dogberry in Much Ado about Nothing reaches for it with comic pomposity: "Flat burglary as ever was committed." It stands before the noun it strengthens. The adverb of flat refusals carries the same force after a verb. Source

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

    • The emphatic use of flat is old, occurring in Shakespeare. folger.edu
    • Dogberry in Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing says exactly the quoted words. folger.edu
18. 18
    one-dimensionaladjectivefiguratively

    Thinly drawn and one-dimensional, without the depth or substance to be believable.

    Reviewers complained that the novel's protagonist remained flat throughout, never growing or surprising anyone.

    The screenplay's flat secondary characters dragged down an otherwise tense plot.

    Similarone-dimensional, two-dimensional, shallow, wooden, underdeveloped

    Oppositeround

    Note

    A critic's term, used especially of characters in fiction, film and television. Its natural opposite is round. A flat character is built around a single trait and seldom changes, while a round one has depth and can surprise. The word compares freely, as in the book's flatter characters, so it names a degree of thinness rather than a fixed category. Source

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

    • Flat characters have limited complexity, often with one or two dominant traits. They are often static, but being flat does not necessarily mean remaining unchanged. web.cocc.edu
    • A round character has depth and can surprise. fadedpage.com
19. 19
    adjective

    Of a pitch, lowered by one semitone from its natural form.

    The key signature makes every B flat throughout the score.

    A flat seventh gives the chord its bluesy color.

    UsageAfter the letter: B flat, E flat. Before it, a flat B means a note played too low.

    Oppositesharp

    Note

    It names an intended pitch, lowered one semitone on purpose by a sign or a key signature. Its noun is the ♭ note itself. Source

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • A flat sign lowers a pitch by one semitone. musictheory.pugetsound.edu
20. 20
    exactlyadverb

    Used after a stated time to mean exactly that and no more, or simply to stress how quick something was, as in seconds flat.

    The sprinter finished in ten seconds flat.

    They sold every ticket in a week flat.

    UsageGoes after the time: ten seconds flat, in no time flat.

    Similarexactly, precisely

    Oppositeapproximately, roughly

    Note

    In races and against the stopwatch it stresses that nothing is left over. In everyday talk, as in in seconds flat or in no time flat, it simply stresses speed. Put the word before the number instead, as in a flat four minutes, and it becomes the adjective of exact time. The meaning stays the same; only the word order changes.

21. 21
    too low (pitch)adjective

    Of a voice or note, sounding below the intended pitch.

    The choir drifted flat during the long final note.

    His guitar was flat, so he tuned each string back up.

    UsageOften after be, sound, or go: the string is flat, sound flat; also a flat note.

    Similaroff-key

    Oppositesharp

    Note

    A performer's complaint about an instrument or voice that has slipped below where it belongs, as in your A string is flat. This is a fault to be corrected by tuning back up, never a mark in the score. Source

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • An instrument's pitch can drift downward and become flat. musicworkshopdirect.com
    • Flatness in the specified sense is a tuning fault corrected by raising the pitch. izotope.com
22. 22
    adjective

    Arranged in few or no tiers of rank, hierarchy, or nesting, said of organizations and of data structures.

    The startup prides itself on being flat, with no middle managers between the founders and the engineers.

    A flat file keeps every record in a single table, with no tables nested inside others.

    UsageOften a flat structure or a flat organization.

    Similarnonhierarchical

    Oppositehierarchical, nested

23. 23
    nouncountable

    The main flat surface of an object, such as the broad side of a bale.

    The mason set each stone on its flat so the low wall would stay steady.

    She slapped the counter with the flat of her hand to get everyone's attention.

    UsageUsually the flat of something: the flat of your hand, the flat of the knife.

    Oppositeedge

    Note

    Robert J. Meurn's Marine Cargo Operations tells stowers to set the outboard bales on edge so that their flats face the sweat battens, limiting damage if they chafe. Source

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Robert J. Meurn is the author of Marine Cargo Operations. schifferbooks.com
    • The book recommends placing outboard bales on edge with their flats facing the sweat battens to reduce chafing damage. en.wiktionary.org
24. 24
    noun

    In horse racing, courses of level ground with no jumps to clear, or the racing run on them; usually with the.

    After two falls over hurdles, the mare was switched back to the flat.

    The trainer has twenty horses getting ready for the Flat this summer.

    Note

    Racing splits into two codes, the flat and jumps: on the flat, horses race with no obstacles to clear, while jump racing uses hurdles and fences. It is the usual term in British and Irish racing, often capitalized when it names the code or its season (the Flat), and common before a noun: flat racing, the flat season. Source

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

    • British racing distinguishes two codes, Flat and Jumps. greatbritishracing.com
    • Flat racing can take place on sloping or undulating courses; it is defined by the absence of obstacles to jump. racing.hkjc.com
    • Flat races have no obstacles to jump. thejockeyclub.co.uk
    • Jump racing includes races over hurdles and fences. thejockeyclub.co.uk
25. 25
    nouncountable

    A broad, low-sided tray, box, or pallet, such as one holding a quantity of berries.

    We picked up a flat of strawberries from the farm stand for the party.

    The nursery sells flats of pansies, twelve plants to a tray.

    UsageA measure word: a flat of strawberries, a flat of pansies.

    Similartray

    Note

    Shoppers meet it as a measure word, a flat of strawberries or a flat of pansies, the way they meet a crate of apples: the quantity is whatever the shallow tray holds. Garden centers sell bedding plants by the flat, and farm stands sell soft fruit that way because a shallow tray keeps the berries from crushing each other. Source

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

    • Shallow containers protect berries from crushing one another. extension.usu.edu
26. 26
    nouncountable

    In American football, the area on either side of the field from the line of scrimmage to about ten yards downfield, between the hash marks and the sideline.

    The running back slipped out into the flat and caught a short pass.

    Their linebackers were slow to cover the flats all afternoon.

    Note

    Football commentary usually has it with the: a back slips out into the flat, a linebacker covers the flat, and the plural the flats takes in both sides of the formation. It is where short, quick passes go, so a defense that is slow to the flats gives up easy yards all afternoon. Source

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

    • The flat is an area used for short passes. swmbfo.org
    • Flat-route passing concepts include quick throws. philadelphiaeagles.com
    • Failure to cover the flat can allow easy completions and yardage. panthers.com
27. 27
    noun

    Level ground as opposed to hills or climbs, used with the.

    Riders who are quick on the flat often lose minutes once the road starts to climb.

    The new runners trained on the flat for a month before trying any hill work.

    Oppositehill, climb

    Note

    Level ground taken as a whole, used almost only in the phrase "the flat": running on the flat, or getting through the mountains and onto the flat. The article is part of the idiom. Without it, the word turns back into a countable stretch of ground. The same phrase gives racing its name for jumpless racing. Source

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

    • The phrase also denotes horse racing without jumps. en.wiktionary.org
28. 28
    still waternounUSabbreviationellipsis

    Ellipsis of flat water: still drinking water, as opposed to sparkling water.

    The waiter asked whether we preferred sparkling or flat.

    Most of the table wanted sparkling, but Dana stuck with flat because bubbles upset her stomach.

    UsageMostly in the question sparkling or flat? Elsewhere, ask for still water or flat water.

    Note

    A US restaurant clipping of flat water, itself another name for still water. Source

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • US flat meaning drinking water is an ellipsis of flat water. en.wiktionary.org
    • Flat water is another name for still drinking water. en.wiktionary.org
29. 29
    dead batteryadjective

    Of a battery or power source, unable to supply power; completely drained.

    The car wouldn't start because the battery was flat.

    We left the headlights on and found the battery flat in the morning.

    UsageA battery goes flat or is flat; dead means the same: a dead battery.

    Similardead, drained, exhausted

    Oppositecharged

30. 30
    lower a noteverbtransitive

    To lower a musical note in pitch, especially by half a tone.

    Composers often flat the third to give a melody its bluesy color.

    Jazz players often flat the seventh to give a melody a bluesy edge.

    Similarlower, flatten

    Oppositesharpen, raise

    Note

    Notation turned into a verb: to flat a note is to lower it, usually by a semitone. Its past form is flatted, not flattened, so a pianist flatted the final chord. Flattened belongs to flatten, which can also lower a note. This is the transitive partner of the "lowered a semitone" adjective. Source

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

    • Flatten also means to lower musical pitch; flattened is its past form. Flatted is correctly the past form of flat. en.wikisource.org
31. 31
    little foamadjective

    Of a coffee, having little froth and little milk.

    She switched from lattes to flat whites because she wanted less milk and a stronger taste of coffee.

    The latte arrived surprisingly flat, with almost no froth crowning the cup.

    Oppositefrothy, foamy

32. 32
    adjective

    Exact; amounting to precisely the stated figure with nothing added.

    After tax, the groceries came to a flat forty dollars, not a cent more.

    She finished the 100 meters in a flat twelve seconds, her best time yet.

    UsageGoes before the number: a flat forty dollars.

    Similarstraight, even, fixed

33. 33
    dull wineadjective

    Of a wine, lacking acidity without being sweet.

    Like a song played without any high notes, missing the brightness.

    The sommelier called the Chardonnay flat, missing the bright acidity the vintage needed.

    Without enough acidity to balance its ripe fruit, the chardonnay tasted flat on the finish.

    Similarflabby, dull, lifeless, insipid

    Oppositecrisp, fresh, lively

    Note

    A taster's word for a wine short of acidity. The second half of the idea matters: the word is chiefly kept for the dull case where neither acidity nor sweetness gives the wine life, though reviewers sometimes call a sweet wine flat too. It is a different fault from the drink gone fizzless, though the two share the word. Source

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

    • Sweetness does not exclude the description flat. The Beverage Testing Institute describes a sweet wine as having a flat, fruity sweet body. tastings.com
34. 34
    adjective

    Of food, dull to the taste and short on flavor, often from too little salt or acid.

    The stew tasted flat, so the cook stirred in a splash of vinegar and another pinch of salt.

    The reviewer found the curry oddly flat, as if someone had forgotten to season it at all.

    Similarbland, tasteless, insipid

    Oppositeflavorful, tasty

    Note

    Cooks use the word for food that tastes as though something is missing, and the usual cure is salt or a splash of acid rather than more spice. Bland can describe food meant to be mild (a bland diet), while a flat dish was supposed to taste of more. Keep it apart from a drink gone still: a flat soda has lost its bubbles, not its seasoning. Source

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

    • Salt or acid can improve food that tastes flat, whereas spices add their own flavors. thekitchn.com
    • A bland diet deliberately includes mild, nonspicy foods. medlineplus.gov
    • Soda becomes flat through loss of carbonation. acs.org
35. 35
    verb

    To become flat or flattened, or to sink or fall until the surface is even.
36. 36
    verbslang

    In poker, to call a bet, matching it without putting in a raise.
37. 37
    noun

    A rectangular wooden frame covered with masonite, lauan, or muslin, often in standard modules, that forms part of a stage wall and can be painted or fitted with doors and windows.
38. 38
    adjectiveslang

    Of a person's figure, lacking curves at the chest or rear.
39. 39
    adjective

    Of a vowel, pronounced as a single steady sound rather than gliding like a diphthong.
40. 40
    adjective

    Of a juggling throw, made so the object does not rotate in the air.
41. 41
    adjectivedated

    Of a consonant, voiced, as opposed to a voiceless or sharp one.
42. 42
    adjective

    Of a word, carrying no ending or marker that shows its grammatical role, as in an adverb identical to its adjective (go slow) or a bare infinitive without 'to'.
43. 43
    adjective

    Of a golf club, built with a low lie, the head meeting the handle at a wide angle.
44. 44
    adjective

    Of certain fruits, broader than they are tall, with squashed-looking ends.
45. 45
    adjective

    Of a module, such that tensoring with it keeps every exact sequence exact.
46. 46
    adjective

    Of a ring homomorphism, making the target ring a flat module when viewed as a module over the source ring.
47. 47
    adjective

    Of a morphism of schemes or ringed spaces, giving a flat ring homomorphism between stalks at every point.
48. 48
    adjectiveobsoleteUK

    Lacking sense, dim-witted.

    We either burns the old brooms, or, if we can, we sells ’em for a ha’penny to some other boy, if he’s flat enough to buy ’em.

    1851, Henry Mayhew, London Labour and the London Poor
49. 49
    adverb

    With no early release on parole, of a prison term.
50. 50
    adverbslang

    Of a bond's price or trade, quoted without adding the interest that has built up since the last payment.
51. 51
    nounAustralia

    The infield inside a horse racing track.
52. 52
    noun

    A light racing shoe with a thin, level sole and no spikes.
53. 53
    noun

    A wide paintbrush with a squared-off tip, used with oils and watercolors.
54. 54
    noun

    The broad face of a sword or knife, not its cutting edge.
55. 55
    noun

    Your open hand on its inner side, from the wrist through the base of the fingers.
56. 56
    noun

    In US postal terms, a large, thin piece of mail such as a big envelope, catalog or magazine, bigger than a letter but within set size limits.
57. 57
    nounUS

    A railroad car consisting of an open platform with no roof or sides.
58. 58
    noun

    A worn, flattened patch on a train wheel, caused by skidding.
59. 59
    noun

    A shallow boat with a level bottom and no keel.
60. 60
    noun

    In geometry, a subset of a higher-dimensional space that is itself a lower-dimensional Euclidean space, such as a line or plane.
61. 61
    noun

    A woven hat of straw that is wide at the brim and shallow on top.
62. 62
    noun

    A plain bedsheet with no elastic corners.
63. 63
    noun

    A slim picture book for young readers, glossy and only a handful of pages long.
64. 64
    noun

    A wheeled platform that carries decorative displays in a parade, like a float.
65. 65
    noun

    In mining, a horizontal deposit branching off a main vein, or any level stretch of a vein that otherwise slopes.
66. 66
    noun

    A skipper butterfly of a group known for resting with outspread wings.
67. 67
    noun

    An early toy soldier made as a thin, two-dimensional figure, often of tin.

    Among the many US museums hosting flats, we may mention the Toy Soldier Museum in the Pocono Mountains, supervised by the historian, collector and dealer J. Hillestad.

    2019, Luigi Toiati, The History of Toy Soldiers
68. 68
    nounobsolete

    A slow-witted or foolish person.
69. 69
    noun

    A fairground ride that spins people around on a level base, short for flat ride.
70. 70
    noun

    A plane mirror, one with a level rather than curved surface, as used in a telescope.
71. 71
    nounslang

    A crooked die made slightly flat by shaving one face or a pair of opposite faces, so certain numbers come up more often.
72. 72
    noundialectalBritish ColumbiaCanadian Prairies

    A case of 24 cans or bottles of beer.
73. 73
    verbcolloquial

    To sing or play below the correct pitch.
74. 74
    verbdated

    To press or smooth something so that it lies level.

    The pods, which seldom contain less than thirty nuts of the size of a flatted olive, grow upon the stem and principal branches.

    1764, James Granger, The Sugar-Cane: a Poem. In Four Books. With Notes.
75. 75
    verbdated

    To make something dull, flavorless or lifeless, or to lower someone's spirits.

    Passions are allayed, appetites are flatted.

    a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, The Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow
76. 76
    verbobsolete

    To hit something hard, with one blow or many.
77. 77
    verb

    To fling something down violently.
78. 78
    verb

    To rush forward with sudden speed.