flat

flat1 [ flæt ] adjective ***

▸ 1 level/smooth

▸ 2 lying on surface

▸ 3 rate/amount: fixed

▸ 4 lacking emotion/interest

▸ 5 spoken directly

▸ 6 tire: no air

▸ 7 battery: no power

▸ 8 drink: no bubbles

▸ 9 shoes: with low heels

▸ 10 about voice/speech

▸ 11 about line on graph

▸ 12 of organization/system

▸ 13 musical note: lower

▸ 14 in economics/business

1. ) level and parallel to the ground:

The building has a flat roof.

You need a flat surface to work on.

a ) smooth on the surface, with no lumps or slopes:

The farmland is very flat.

a firm flat stomach

b ) thin and wide and not curving inwards or outwards:

a monitor with a flat screen

She put the fruit on a large flat plate.

c ) as flat as a pancake very flat:

The sea by then was as flat as a pancake.

2. ) stretched out or lying on a surface:

Stand with your feet flat on the floor.

flat on your back: She was flat on her back asleep.

3. ) a flat rate or amount is the same in all situations, so you do not pay more or less:

The bank charges a flat fee of $15 for money transfers.

4. ) lacking emotion, interest, or excitement:

Ben's voice was curiously flat when he told us the news.

The victory celebrations seemed a little flat.

5. ) said directly and definitely:

a flat refusal

It was a flat statement of fact, with no apology.

6. ) a flat tire does not have enough air in it

7. ) MAINLY BRITISH a flat BATTERY does not have enough power left in it

8. ) a flat drink has lost its BUBBLES of gas, so it does not taste good

9. ) flat shoes have very low heels or no heels

10. ) spoken in a voice that does not go up and down. This word is often used for describing the speech of people from a particular region.

11. ) TECHNICAL appearing as a line on a GRAPH that does not go up or down, showing no activity or variety

12. ) used for describing an organization or system in which there are not many different levels of status:

Many companies are adopting a flatter management structure.

13. ) a B flat, E flat etc. is a musical note that is one HALFTONE lower than B, E etc.

1

a ) slightly lower than the musical note that should be played or sung

14. ) with very little business or activity happening:

August was a flat month.

flat

flat 2 [ flæt ] adverb *

1. ) stretched out or lying on a surface:

Carole says she's not comfortable lying flat.

We heard a bang and threw ourselves flat on the ground.

2. ) singing or playing musical notes that are slightly lower than they should be:

Brenda has always sung terribly flat.

3. ) INFORMAL exactly: used for emphasizing how quickly something is done:

I fell asleep in five seconds flat!

4. ) INFORMAL completely:

Her answers are flat wrong.

flat broke (=having no money at all): We were flat broke at the time.

fall flat

to not succeed in entertaining someone or making them laugh:

Without him the whole evening would have fallen flat.

My attempt at a joke fell flat.

fall flat on your face

1. ) to fail completely, especially in an embarrassing way

2. ) to fall forward so that you are lying on your front

flat out INFORMAL

1. ) as quickly or with as much effort as possible:

He worked flat out from morning until night.

2. ) directly, without trying to avoid offending or upsetting people:

Michael said flat out that he didn't believe me.

3. ) AMERICAN completely and without doubt:

He was just flat out wrong.

DNA analysis can flat out identify a suspect sometimes.

flat

flat 3 [ flæt ] noun

▸ 1 a flat tire

▸ 2 flat part of something

▸ 3 note halftone lower

▸ 4 shoes with no/low heels

▸ 5 rooms for living in

▸ 6 low flat area of land

▸ 7 wide box with low sides

1. ) count INFORMAL a flat tire:

Sorry, had to change a flat.

2. ) singular a flat surface or part of something:

She hit the table with the flat of her hand.

3. ) count a musical note that is one HALFTONE lower than a particular note

a ) a written symbol for showing that you must play or sing a note a HALFTONE lower

4. ) flats plural shoes without heels or with very low heels

5. ) count BRITISH an APARTMENT

6. ) flats plural a low flat area of land, usually wet land near a large area of water

7. ) count AMERICAN a wide box with low sides, used for selling or carrying fruit or for growing plants from seed:

Strawberries are $5 per flat.