Meaning of flat In English

• 0 level and smooth, with no curved, high, or hollow parts:

  • An ice rink needs to be completely flat.

  • Roll out the pastry on a flat surface.

  • Much of the countryside in that region is very flat.

• 1 level but having little or no height:

  • flat shoes (= ones without a raised heel)

  • Pitta and nan are two types of flat bread.

• 2 not interesting, or without emotion or excitement:

  • After the excitement of the party, life seems somewhat flat now.

  • I thought her performance a little flat.

  • I think the colours in this painting are kind of flat (= not varied or bright).

• 3 with no electrical power left in it:

  • I left my car lights on and now the battery is flat.

• 4 If a drink is flat, it has stopped being fizzy (= with bubbles):

  • If you don't put the top back on that bottle of beer, it will go flat.

• 5 complete or certain, and not likely to change:

  • His request for time off work was met with a flat refusal.

  • The official has issued a flat denial of the accusations against her.

• 6 If something such as a tyre or ball is flat, it does not contain enough air:

  • I got a flat tyre (= the air went out of it) after driving over a nail.

• 7 (especially of an amount of money) fixed and not likely to change:

  • We charge a flat fee/rate of $25 per hour.

• 8 If profits, sales, etc. are flat, they are not growing or increasing:

  • Demand for our machinery abroad is increasing, while growth is flat at home.

• 9 a set of rooms for living in that are part of a larger building and are usually all on one floor:

  • a furnished/unfurnished flat

  • a block of flats

  • They have a house in the country and a flat in Manchester.

• 10 an area of low, level ground, often near water:

  • The salt flats are used for motor racing.

  • The mud flats attract large numbers of birds.

  • He hit me with the flat of his hand.

  • Most of the path is on the flat.

• 11 a tyre that does not have any or enough air in it :

  • We were late because we had to stop and fix a flat.

• 12 women's shoes without high heels:

  • I feel more comfortable in flats.

• 13 (a symbol for) a note that is a semitone lower than a stated note

• 14 (in music) lower than a particular note or the correct note:

  • The top string on your violin is flat.

  • She sang flat throughout the song (= all the notes she sang were too low).

• 15 in a level position, often against another surface:

  • Lay the cloth flat across the table.

• 16 into a flat shape without height:

  • These patio chairs will fold flat for storage.

• 17 completely or to the greatest degree possible:

  • She told him flat that she would not go to the show.

  • Could you lend me some money, I'm flat broke (= I have no money).

  • We managed to get to the station in five minutes flat.

  • My car only does about 60 mph, even when it's going flat out.

  • We've been working flat out to get this done.

• 18 level and smooth; having little or no height and not raised or round:

  • A desk provides a flat surface to work on.

  • Campers look for flat ground to put up their tents.

  • If you don’t put the top back on the soda bottle, it will go flat.

  • One of my tires is flat and I’ll have to change it.

• 19 complete and certain:

  • His request for time off from work was met with a flat refusal.

• 20 (esp. of an amount of money) not changing or varying:

  • We charge a flat rate of $25 per hour.

  • Sales are flat (= low and not changing) during this time of year.

• 21 lower in pitch than a particular or the correct note

• 22 an apartment:

  • They have a house in the country and a flat in London.

• 23 something flat, esp. a tire that has lost its air, so that it does not give the support that it should:

  • We pulled off to the side of the road to change a flat.

  • He swatted the table with the flat of his hand.

• 24 a mark in written music showing that a note should be played a half step lower

• 25 in a level position, often against another surface:

  • He hurt his back and could only sleep lying flat on his back.

• 26 completely, or to the greatest degree possible:

  • When he asked for a raise, the boss turned him down flat.

  • I’m flat broke (= I have no money).

• 27 exactly:

  • We managed to get to the station in five minutes flat.

• 28 if profits, sales, etc. are flat, they are not growing or increasing:

  • Demand for our machinery abroad is increasing, while growth is flat at home.

• 29 if the stock market is flat, the prices of shares are not rising or falling:

  • The market remained at 9,000 points after a flat day of trading yesterday.

• 30 fixed and without any additional costs:

  • He submitted a flat price for completing the work, including all labour and materials.

• 31 used to describe the structure of an organization in which there are not many different levels of employees between the top and the bottom:

  • Companies with a flat organizational structure can usually make decisions more quickly.

• 32 a set of rooms for living in which are part of a larger building and which are usually all on one floor:

  • a furnished/unfurnished flat

  • a block of flats

  • He works as a property developer, buying, renovating and selling on flats in the capital.

• 33 to be unsuccessful:

  • The deal fell flat when the two sides could not agree on the terms of the contract.

• 34 as hard or as fast as possible:

  • Towards the end of the project the whole department was working flat out to meet the deadlines.