flat

FLAT/flæt/

Adjectiveflatter, flattest

Noun pluralflats

78 meanings of flat

Practice

1
leveladjective
Level and smooth, with no parts higher or lower than the rest.
Like a tabletop: the same height everywhere.
The desert was flat as far as we could see.
We need flat ground to pitch the tent.
UsageSay flat ground or a flat roof. as flat as a pancake means very flat.
Similarlevel, even, smooth, horizontal
Oppositeuneven, hilly, bumpy, sloping
Note
2
adjective
Wide and thin, not very tall or deep for its size, like a box, a stone, or a noodle.
The new TV came in a big flat box that barely fit in the car.
My dad likes the wide, flat noodles better than the thin round ones.
UsageSay flatter and flattest, with two t's.
Similarshallow
Note
3
apartmentnounBritishAustraliaNew ZealandSouth AfricaIndiaSingaporecountable
A home that takes up only part of a larger building, often one that people rent.
Like a single home tucked inside a bigger building, next to other homes.
They rented a small flat near the train station.
Her flat is on the third floor, just above the bakery.
UsageIn the US people say apartment. You rent a flat or live in a flat.
Similarapartment
4
fixed priceadjective
Of a price or fee, set at one fixed amount that does not change.
Like a ticket that costs the same no matter how far you ride.
The plumber charges a flat fee for each visit.
We pay a flat rate every month, no matter how much we use.
UsageCommon phrases are a flat fee, a flat rate and a flat fare.
Similarfixed, set, standard, uniform, single
Oppositevariable, graduated
Note
5
adverb
In a way that lies level and even, with no bumps.
Like pressing a sticker down so no part sticks up.
Lay the map out flat on the table.
She pressed the paper flat with her hand.
UsageSay lay it flat or lie flat.
Similarhorizontally
Oppositeupright
6
adjective
Not going up or down, but staying the same and not growing.
Like a line that runs straight across without rising or falling.
The price of bread stayed flat at three dollars all year.
His pay has stayed flat for three years.
UsageOften used after stay, remain, or hold: prices stayed flat.
Similarstable, steady, unchanged, static, level
Oppositerising
7
soft (tire)adjective
Having lost its air, usually because of a hole or puncture.
Like a balloon that has lost all of its air.
The back tire went flat on the way home.
The front tire was flat, so I pumped it up before riding.
UsageSay the tire went flat, or I have a flat tire.
Similardeflated
Oppositeinflated
8
completelyadverb
Completely, or in a firm, clear way that leaves no doubt.
Like slamming a door shut: there's no 'maybe' left.
She turned the idea down flat.
I'm flat broke until payday.
Usageflat broke means having no money at all.
Similaroutright, flatly, completely, utterly, totally
9
low-heeled shoenouncountableplural
A woman's shoe with a very low heel or no heel at all.
She changed into flats after dancing all night in heels.
A simple black flat goes with almost any outfit.
UsageSay a pair of flats.
Oppositeheel
Note
10
dulladjectivefiguratively
Dull and without life or feeling, like a voice that never goes up or down.
Like a balloon that has slowly lost all its air.
The party felt flat once the music stopped.
Her voice sounded flat and tired all afternoon.
Usagefall flat means fail to make people laugh or care.
Similardull, lifeless, lackluster, boring, monotonous
Oppositelively, animated, spirited, vibrant
11
shore plainnouncountable
A wide piece of low, level land, sometimes covered by shallow water.
Like a wide, low field near the sea that water sometimes covers.
Birds gathered on the flat at low tide.
We walked across the muddy flat beside the river.
UsageOften salt flats or mud flats.
Similarplain
Note
12
adjective
Used about a picture or a style of art that shows little or no depth, so things do not look solid.
Without any shadows, my drawing of the house looked flat, like a paper cutout.
Many phone games use a flat style with simple shapes and bright colors.
Similartwo-dimensional
Oppositethree-dimensional
Note
13
adjective
Of a color, the same all over and not shiny.
She chose a flat blue for the kitchen walls.
The old car was painted flat black, with no shine at all.
Similarmatte
Oppositeglossy, shiny
Note

Less common meanings

14
lost its fizzadjective
Of a drink, no longer fizzy because the bubbles are gone.
Like a fizzy drink that has stopped bubbling and gone still.
The soda went flat after being left open all night.
Nobody wanted the flat lemonade at the end of the party.
UsageSoda goes flat when it loses its bubbles.
Similarstale, lifeless, dead
Oppositefizzy, sparkling, bubbly, effervescent
15
nouncolloquialcountable
A tire that has lost its air, usually from a hole.
Like a ball that won't bounce because the air has leaked out.
We had to fix a flat on the side of the highway.
A flat made us late for the party.
UsageSay we got a flat or fix a flat.
Similarpuncture, blowout
Note
16
a lowered notenouncountable
A musical note played one small step lower than the normal note.
Like stepping down one stair to reach a slightly lower sound.
The song uses a flat in the second line of the melody.
The black keys on a piano play the sharps and flats.
Oppositesharp
Note
17
bluntadjective
Complete and firm, allowing no argument or change.
Like a door slammed shut that will not open again.
She gave a flat no when they asked her to stay late.
His answer was a flat refusal to help.
UsageSay a flat no or a flat refusal.
Similaroutright, categorical, absolute, firm, unequivocal
Oppositequalified, tentative, equivocal
Note
18
one-dimensionaladjectivefiguratively
Lacking depth, so a character or story feels weak and unconvincing.
Like a cardboard cutout of a person instead of a real one.
The villain felt flat, with no real reason for being cruel.
Critics said the main character was flat and hard to care about.
Similarone-dimensional, two-dimensional, shallow, wooden, underdeveloped
Oppositeround
Note
19
adjective
Lowered by one small musical step from the normal note.
Like a sound nudged down one small step on a ladder.
The piece is written in B flat.
Play the third note flat, not natural.
UsageSay B flat or E flat.
Oppositesharp
Note
20
exactlyadverb
Used after a time to mean exactly that long, or to show that something was done very quickly.
She ran the race in two minutes flat.
He fixed the whole thing in an hour flat.
UsageSay two minutes flat or in no time flat.
Similarexactly, precisely
Oppositeapproximately, roughly
Note
21
too low (pitch)adjective
Sounding a little lower than the right pitch, often by mistake.
Like reaching for a note and landing just below it.
Her singing went flat near the end of the song.
The old piano sounds flat on the high keys.
UsageSay sing flat or the piano is flat.
Similaroff-key
Oppositesharp
Note
22
adjective
Having few or no levels, like a company with few bosses or data with no groups inside other groups.
The company has a flat structure, so anyone can talk to the owner directly.
She keeps all her photos in one flat folder instead of folders inside folders.
UsageSay a flat structure or a flat organization.
Similarnonhierarchical
Oppositehierarchical, nested
23
nouncountable
The widest flat part or side of something.
Crush the garlic with the flat of the knife.
Lay the bricks on their flats, not on their edges.
UsageSay the flat of your hand.
Oppositeedge
Note
24
noun
In horse racing, level ground with no jumps, or the races run on it.
This horse is fast on the flat but bad at jumping.
My uncle only bets on the flat and never on races with fences.
Note
25
nouncountable
A wide, low box or tray for carrying things like fruit.
Grandma bought a whole flat of peaches at the market.
The workers stacked the flats of eggs in the back of the truck.
UsageSay a flat of berries.
Similartray
Note
26
nouncountable
In American football, the space near each sideline, just past the line where play starts.
He caught the ball in the flat and ran for ten yards.
The quarterback threw a quick pass to the flat.
Note
27
noun
Level ground in general, where there are no hills or slopes.
My old bike does fine on the flat, but it struggles on every hill.
After the long climb, it felt good to walk on the flat again.
Oppositehill, climb
Note
28
still waternounUSabbreviationellipsis
Short for flat water. It means still drinking water with no bubbles.
Would you like sparkling or flat with your meal?
The waiter asked if we wanted sparkling or flat, and we chose flat.
UsageSaid when someone asks sparkling or flat?
Note
29
dead batteryadjective
Of a battery, dead and no longer able to give any power.
Like a toy that stops working because its battery has run out.
My phone battery went flat before lunch.
The car wouldn't start because the battery was flat.
UsageSay a battery goes flat or is flat.
Similardead, drained, exhausted
Oppositecharged
30
lower a noteverbtransitive
To lower a musical note a little in pitch.
Like turning a sound down just a little bit lower.
Tired singers sometimes flat a note near the end of a long set.
He flatted the high notes during the final verse.
Similarlower, flatten
Oppositesharpen, raise
Note
31
little foamadjective
Of coffee, made with little foam and not much milk.
Like a glass of milk with hardly any foam on top.
A flat white has less foam than a cappuccino.
The cappuccino came out flat instead of nice and frothy.
Oppositefrothy, foamy
32
adjective
Exact, with no amount above or below the stated figure.
The repair cost a flat fifty dollars.
With tax, our lunch came to a flat twenty dollars.
UsagePut flat right before the number: a flat twenty dollars.
Similarstraight, even, fixed
33
dull wineadjective
Of wine, tasting dull because it has little sharpness and is not sweet.
Like lemonade made without any lemon, so it just tastes dull.
The white wine tasted flat, with no crisp, fresh edge.
Without enough acidity, the wine seemed flat on my tongue.
Similarflabby, dull, lifeless, insipid
Oppositecrisp, fresh, lively
Note
34
adjective
Used about food that has little taste, often because it needs more salt or something sour.
The soup tastes flat, so I'm going to add some salt.
Her tomato sauce was a little flat until she squeezed in some lemon juice.
Similarbland, tasteless, insipid
Oppositeflavorful, tasty
Note
35
verb
To become flat, or to sink or fall down to a level surface.
36
verbslang
In poker, to match a bet without making it bigger.
37
noun
A wooden frame covered with thin board or cloth that is used to make walls on a theater stage.
38
adjectiveslang
With little curve at the chest or behind.
39
adjective
Of a vowel, said as one steady sound.
40
adjective
Thrown so it does not turn in the air.
41
adjectivedated
Of a consonant, made while the voice hums.
42
adjective
Of a word, used without the ending that usually shows its job in a sentence.
43
adjective
Of a golf club, with a very wide angle between the head and the shaft.
44
adjective
Of a fruit, with ends that look pressed down.
45
adjective
In math, of a module that keeps a key algebra property when combined with others.
46
adjective
In math, of a ring map whose target ring behaves as a flat module.
47
adjective
In math, of a map between spaces that is flat at every point.
48
adjectiveobsoleteUK
Silly or not clever.
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
adverb
With no chance of getting out early on parole, said of prison time.
50
adverbslang
Of a bond, sold without counting interest owed so far.
51
nounAustralia
The middle area inside a racetrack.
52
noun
A light racing shoe with a thin, flat bottom and no spikes.
53
noun
A wide, straight-edged paintbrush.
54
noun
The wide side of a knife or sword, not the edge.
55
noun
The inside of your hand, up to and including the bottom of your fingers.
56
noun
A large envelope or magazine sent in the mail.
57
nounUS
A train car that is just an open platform.
58
noun
A flat worn spot on a train's wheel.
59
noun
A boat with a flat bottom for shallow water.
60
noun
In math, a line, plane, or similar straight space inside a bigger one.
61
noun
A wide, low straw hat.
62
noun
A bed sheet without stretchy corners.
63
noun
A thin, shiny picture book for children.
64
noun
A parade float on wheels.
65
noun
In mining, a level part of a vein of ore.
66
noun
A small skipper butterfly that rests with its wings spread open.
67
noun
A toy soldier of an early style, made as a very thin metal figure.
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
nounobsolete
A dull, stupid person.
69
noun
A spinning fair ride on level ground.
70
noun
A mirror that is not curved.
71
nounslang
A cheating die shaved a little flat, so some numbers come up more often.
72
noundialectalBritish ColumbiaCanadian Prairies
A box holding 24 beers.
73
verbcolloquial
To sing or play a note too low.
74
verbdated
To make something 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
verbdated
To make something boring, or to make someone feel low.
Passions are allayed, appetites are flatted.
a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, The Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow
76
verbobsolete
To hit something hard.
77
verb
To throw something down hard.
78
verb
To move very fast all of a sudden.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of flat apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–2, 4–34

It comes from Old Norse 'flatr', meaning flat. This gave the English word for the adjective and later the noun.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

English flat comes from Old Norse flatr, through Middle English. en.wiktionary.org
Old Norse flatr means flat. en.wiktionary.org
The adjective subsequently gave rise to the noun. en.wiktionary.org

Meaning 3

This sense (a dwelling) comes from Scots 'flet' meaning the inner part of a house, going back to Old English 'flet' meaning floor or dwelling.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Flat meaning a dwelling derives from Scots flet, meaning the inner part of a house. en.wiktionary.org
The word goes back to Old English flet, meaning floor or dwelling. en.wiktionary.org