- having a level surface, not curved or sloping, and without holes or any bits sticking out
- low buildings with flat roofs
- I need a flat surface to write on.
- A large flat screen was mounted on the wall.
- We found a large flat rock to sit on.
- People used to think the earth was flat.
- a large, deep dish with a flat bottom
- exercises to help you maintain a flat stomach
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- look
- become
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- (of land) without any slopes or hills
- The road stretched ahead across the flat landscape.
- The desert was flat, mile after mile.
- He reached a flatter section of land near the river.
- the flat plains of northern Germany
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- look
- become
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- (of an area of water) calm and without waves
- The sails hung limply in the flat calm (= conditions at sea when there is no wind and the water is completely level).
- The sea was almost completely flat.
- The water was dead flat, like a mirror.
- broad but not very high
- Chapattis are a kind of flat Indian bread.
- flat shoes (= with no heels or very low ones)
- (figurative) The company's organizational structure was kept deliberately flat, with only three levels of hierarchy.
- not exciting; not feeling or showing interest or enthusiasm
- He felt very flat after his friends had gone home.
- It was a curiously flat note on which to end the election campaign.
Extra Examples- Life will seem a bit flat without you.
- She was feeling very flat after the excitement of the flight.
- not showing much emotion; not changing much in tone
- Her voice was flat and expressionless.
- He spoke in a flat Midlands accent.
- He went on in a flat tone.
- very smooth, with no contrast between light and dark, and giving no impression of depth
- Acrylic paints can be used to create large, flat blocks of colour.
- not very successful because very little is being sold; not changing or increasing
- The housing market has been flat for months.
- Interest rates have remained flat.
- [only before noun] not allowing discussion or argument; definite
- Her request was met with a flat refusal.
- He gave a flat ‘No!’ to one reporter's question.
- These results are in flat contradiction to the theory of relativity.
- used after the name of a note to mean a note a semitone lower
- That note should be B flat, not B.
- below the correct pitch (= how high or low a note sounds)
- The high notes were slightly flat.
- no longer having bubbles in it; not fresh
- The soda was warm and had gone flat.
- (British English) unable to supply any more electricity
- not containing enough air, usually because of a hole
- with no natural raised curves under the feet see also flat-footed
level
not high
not exciting
voice
colours/pictures
business
refusal/denial
in music
drink
battery
tyre
feet
Word Originadjective Middle English: from Old Norse flatr.
Idioms
See flat in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee flat in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishand that’s flat!
- (British English, informal) that is my final decision and I will not change my mind
- You can't go and that's flat!
as flat as a pancake
- (informal) completely flat
- The country around here is as flat as a pancake.
More Like This Similes in idiomsSimiles in idioms- (as) bald as a coot
- (as) blind as a bat
- (as) bright as a button
- (as) bold as brass
- as busy as a bee
- as clean as a whistle
- (as) dead as a/the dodo
- (as) deaf as a post
- (as) dull as ditchwater
- (as) fit as a fiddle
- as flat as a pancake
- (as) good as gold
- (as) mad as a hatter/a March hare
- (as) miserable/ugly as sin
- as old as the hills
- (as) pleased/proud as Punch
- as pretty as a picture
- (as) regular as clockwork
- (as) quick as a flash
- (as) safe as houses
- (as) sound as a bell
- (as) steady as a rock
- (as) thick as two short planks
- (as) tough as old boots
in a (flat) spin
- very confused, worried or excited
- Her resignation put her colleagues in a spin.
(flat) on your back
- (informal) in bed because you are ill
- She's been flat on her back for over a week now.
- (figurative) The UK market was flat on its back (= business was very bad).
Check pronunciation:
flat