flat

A flat is an apartment. If a girl invites you up to her flat, she's not trying to squash you, she's inviting you over. And she's probably from England, because flat is much more common in British than American English.

Geometrically, something flat is an even, level plane, like Kansas relative to the Rocky Mountains, or the cargo area of a flatbed truck. As an adjective, flat means "less than lively." A flat soda has no bubbles. If your speech falls flat, no one was excited. If you get mugged you might choose to lie flat on the ground. A flat note is just below the right pitch. And if you're cooking is flat, it's boring.

Primary Meanings of flat

1.
 adjnadv
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
a level tract of land
with flat sails
2.
 adjn
lacking stimulating characteristics; uninteresting
a deflated pneumatic tire
3.
 adjadv
not modified or restricted by reservations
in a forthright manner; candidly or frankly
4.
 adjn
(of a musical note) lowered in pitch by one chromatic semitone
a musical notation indicating one half step lower than the note named
Full Definitions of flat
1

adj having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another

“a flat desk”
“skirts sewn with fine flat seams”
Synonyms:
level, plane
even
being level or straight or regular and without variation as e.g. in shape or texture; or being in the same plane or at the same height as something else (i.e. even with)

adj horizontally level

“a flat roof”
Synonyms:
horizontal
parallel to or in the plane of the horizon or a base line

adj flattened laterally along the whole length (e.g., certain leafstalks or flatfishes)

Synonyms:
compressed
thin
of relatively small extent from one surface to the opposite or in cross section

adj having a relatively broad surface in relation to depth or thickness

“flat computer monitors”
Synonyms:
planar, two-dimensional
involving two dimensions

adj stretched out and lying at full length along the ground

“found himself lying flat on the floor”
Synonyms:
prostrate
unerect
not upright in position or posture

n a level tract of land

“the salt flats of Utah”
Types:
alluvial flat, alluvial plain
a flat resulting from repeated deposits of alluvial material by running water
salt flat, salt plain
a flat expanse of salt left by the evaporation of a body of salt water
Type of:
champaign, field, plain
extensive tract of level open land

n a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house

Synonyms:
apartment
Types:
show 11 types...
hide 11 types...
bedsit, bedsitter, bedsitting room
a furnished sitting room with sleeping accommodations (and some plumbing)
cold-water flat
an apartment without modern conveniences
duplex, duplex apartment
an apartment having rooms on two floors that are connected by a staircase
efficiency apartment
a furnished apartment with a kitchenette and bathroom
flatlet
a tiny flat
maisonette, maisonnette
a self-contained apartment (usually on two floors) in a larger house and with its own entrance from the outside
penthouse
an apartment located on the top floors of a building
railroad flat
an apartment whose rooms are all in a line with doors between them
studio, studio apartment
an apartment with a living space and a bathroom and a small kitchen
rooms, suite
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
walk-up, walk-up apartment
an apartment in a building without an elevator
Type of:
housing, living accommodations, lodging
structures collectively in which people are housed

n a shallow box in which seedlings are started

Type of:
box
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid

n freight car without permanent sides or roof

Synonyms:
flatbed, flatcar
Type of:
freight car
a railway car that carries freight

n scenery consisting of a wooden frame covered with painted canvas; part of a stage setting

Types:
coulisse, wing flat
a flat situated in the wings
teaser, tormenter, tormentor
a flat at each side of the stage to prevent the audience from seeing into the wings
Type of:
scene, scenery
the painted structures of a stage set that are intended to suggest a particular locale

adv with flat sails

“sail flat against the wind”
2

adj lacking stimulating characteristics; uninteresting

“a flat joke”
Synonyms:
bland
unexciting, unstimulating
not stimulating

adj lacking taste or flavor or tang

Synonyms:
bland, flavorless, flavourless, insipid, savorless, savourless, vapid
tasteless
lacking flavor

adj having lost effervescence

“flat beer”
“a flat cola”
Synonyms:
noneffervescent
not effervescent

adj commercially inactive

“flat sales for the month”
“prices remained flat”
“a flat market”
Synonyms:
inactive
(pathology) not progressing or increasing; or progressing slowly

adj not reflecting light; not glossy

“flat wall paint”
Synonyms:
mat, matt, matte, matted
dull
emitting or reflecting very little light

n a deflated pneumatic tire

Synonyms:
flat tire
Type of:
pneumatic tire, pneumatic tyre
a tire made of reinforced rubber and filled with compressed air; used on motor vehicles and bicycles etc
3

adj not modified or restricted by reservations

“a flat refusal”
Synonyms:
categoric, categorical, unconditional
unqualified
not limited or restricted

adj lacking the expected range or depth; not designed to give an illusion or depth

“a flat two-dimensional painting”
Synonyms:
2-dimensional, two-dimensional
multidimensional
having or involving or marked by several dimensions or aspects

adj sounded or spoken in a tone unvarying in pitch

Synonyms:
monotone, monotonic, monotonous
unmodulated
characterized by lack of variation in pitch, tone, or volume

adj lacking contrast or shading between tones

Antonyms:
contrasty
having sharp differences between black and white

adv in a forthright manner; candidly or frankly

“came out flat for less work and more pay”
Synonyms:
directly, straight
Antonyms:
indirectly
not in a forthright manner
4

adj (of a musical note) lowered in pitch by one chromatic semitone

“B flat”
Antonyms:
natural
(of a musical note) being neither raised nor lowered by one chromatic semitone
sharp
(of a musical note) raised in pitch by one chromatic semitone
show more antonyms...

n a musical notation indicating one half step lower than the note named

Types:
double flat
a musical notation of two flats in front of a note indicating that it is to be lowered by two semitones
Type of:
musical notation
(music) notation used by musicians

Sign up, it's free!

Whether you're a student, an educator, or a lifelong learner, Vocabulary.com can put you on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.