Collins English-English Dictionary

flat [flæt]

1. 1. n [music] an accidental that lowers the pitch of the following note by one chromatic semitone

2. 2. adj horizontal; level

   flat ground

   a flat roof

3. 3. adj even or smooth, without projections or depressions

   a flat surface

4. 4. adj lying stretched out at full length; prostrate

   he lay flat on the ground

5. 5. adj having little depth or thickness; shallow

   a flat dish

6. 6. adj [postpositive; often foll by against] having a surface or side in complete contact with another surface

   flat against the wall

7. 7. adj spread out, unrolled, or levelled

8. 8. adj (of a tyre) deflated, either partially or completely

9. 9. adj (of shoes) having an unraised or only slightly raised heel

10. 10. adj [chiefly Brit] (of races, racetracks, or racecourses) not having obstacles to be jumped

11. 11. adj of, relating to, or connected with flat racing as opposed to steeplechasing and hurdling

    flat jockeys earn more

12. 12. adj without qualification; total

    a flat denial

13. 13. adj without possibility of change; fixed

    a flat rate

14. 14. adj [prenominal or immediately postpositive] neither more nor less; exact

    he did the journey in thirty minutes flat

    a flat thirty minutes

15. 15. adj unexciting or lacking point or interest

    a flat joke

16. 16. adj without variation or resonance; monotonous

    a flat voice

17. 17. adj (of food) stale or tasteless

18. 18. adj (of beer, sparkling wines, etc) having lost effervescence, as by exposure to air

19. 19. adj (of trade, business, a market, etc) commercially inactive; sluggish

20. 20. adj (of a battery) fully discharged; dead

21. 21. adj (of a print, photograph, or painting) lacking contrast or shading between tones

22. 22. adj (of paint) without gloss or lustre; matt

23. 23. adj (of a painting) lacking perspective

24. 24. adj (of lighting) diffuse

25. 25. adj [music] [immediately postpositive] denoting a note of a given letter name (or the sound it represents) that has been lowered in pitch by one chromatic semitone

    B flat

26. 26. adj (of an instrument, voice, etc) out of tune by being too low in pitch - Compare sharp

27. 27. adj another word for lenis

28. 28. adv in or into a prostrate, level, or flat state or position

    he held his hand out flat

29. 29. adv completely or utterly; absolutely

    he went flat against the rules

30. 30. adv exactly; precisely

    in three minutes flat

31. 31. adv [music] lower than a standard pitch

32. 32. adv too low in pitch - Compare sharp

    she sings flat

33. 33. n a flat object, surface, or part

34. 34. n [often plural] a low-lying tract of land, esp a marsh or swamp

35. 35. n [often plural] a mud bank exposed at low tide

36. 36. n a note affected by this accidental - Compare sharp

37. 37. n [theatre] a rectangular wooden frame covered with painted canvas, etc, used to form part of a stage setting

38. 38. n a punctured car tyre

39. 39. n (often cap; preceded by the ) chiefly Brit

40. 40. n flat racing, esp as opposed to steeplechasing and hurdling

41. 41. n the season of flat racing

42. 42. n [nautical] a flatboat or lighter

43. 43. n [US and Canadian] a shallow box or container, used for holding plants, growing seedlings, etc

44. 44. vb to make or become flat

45. 45. vb the usual US word for flatten

46. 46. vb See also flats

47. 47. vb [Etymology] C14: from Old Norse flatr; related to Old High German flaz flat, Greek platus flat, broad

flat [flæt]

1. 1. n a set of rooms comprising a residence entirely on one floor of a building apartment

2. 2. n [Brit and NZ] a portion of a house used as separate living quarters

3. 3. n [NZ] a house shared with people who are not members of one's own family

4. 4. vi. [intr] [Austral and NZ] to live in a flat (with someone)

5. 5. vi. [Etymology] Old English flett floor, hall, house; related to flat¹