From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Trade, Motor vehicles, Sport, Drink, Electricity, Daily life, Business, Music, Clothes, Colours & sounds
flatflat1 /flæt/ ●●● S2 W2 adjective (comparative flatter, superlative flattest) 1 surfaceFLAT smooth and level, without raised or hollow areas, and not sloping or curving houses with flat roofs a perfectly flat sandy beach The countryside near there is flat as a pancake (=very flat). Work on a clean, flat surface.2 moneyBBT a flat rate, amount of money etc is fixed and does not change or have anything added to it Clients are charged a flat rate of £250 annually. We charge a flat fee for car hire.3 tyre/ballTTCDS a flat tyre or ball has no air or not enough air in it4 not deep not very deep, thick, or high, especially in comparison to its width or length The cake came out of the oven flat, not fluffy.5 drinkDFD a drink that is flat does not taste fresh because it has no more bubbles of gas in it OPP fizzy 6 BORINGnot interesting [not before noun] a performance, book etc that is flat lacks interest, excitement, or energy Arsenal looked flat for large parts of the game.7 battery British EnglishHPED a flat battery has lost its electrical power SYN dead American English Have you checked that the batteries haven’t gone flat (=become flat)?8 business/tradeB if prices, economic conditions, trade etc are flat, they have not increased or improved over a period of time Analysts are expecting flat sales in the coming months.9 → E flat/B flat/A flat etc10 musical soundAPM if a musical note is flat, it is played or sung slightly lower than it should be OPP sharp11 voiceEMOTIONAL not showing much emotion, or not changing much in sound as you speak ‘He’s dead, ’ she said in a flat voice. 12 → a flat refusal/denial etc13 → be flat on your back14 shoesDCC flat shoes have very low heels15 lightCBRIGHT having little variety of light and dark Flat lighting is typical of Avedon’s portraits.16 → and that’s flat! —flatness noun [uncountable] → in/into a flat spin at spin2(6), → flat feetTHESAURUSflat on one level, without any holes or raised areas, and not sloping or curvinga flat roofa flat screenBefore you lay the tiles, make sure that the ground is completely flat.level not sloping in any direction, so that every part is at the same heightIs the top of this picture level?After four hours coming down the mountain, I was glad to be back on level ground.smooth without any holes or raised areas – used especially when saying how something feels when you touch ither lovely smooth skinI ran my hand across the animal’s smooth fur.even without any holes or raised areasApply the paint to an even surface.Be careful – the path is not very even here.horizontal going straight across and not slopinga horizontal lineRaise both arms to a horizontal position. Examples from the Corpus
flat• This Coke is completely flat.• Investors on Wall Street applauded the results, even though sales at stores open at least a year were essentially flat.• The horn was a little flat.• It was flat and smooth under her thick gray cotton underpants.• Cambridge is very flat and you can see for miles.• Worries over the economy have kept attendance flat at California's theme parks.• I don't know why some English people prefer flat beer.• There was a neat solid bulge where her flat belly had been.• Focaccia, an Italian flat bread, has become very popular for sandwiches.• That champagne must have gone flat by now• Home prices have stayed flat for the past year.• The game just seemed kind of flat, like they didn't care.• Stack the crepes on a flat plate.• Tails are assumed to act as stiff flat plates with continuous surfaces.• We swam out to a flat rock to sunbathe.• We sat down on a big flat rock.• Roofs, particularly flat roofs, can be damaged as a result of weight of snow lying on them.• a flat, sandy beach• If by fair you mean that everyone pays the same proportion of his income in taxes, the flat tax comes closer.• Would a flat tax save taxpayers money and time, or is it a rip-off that would help only the rich?flat as a pancake• When they came out of the oven, they looked like a tortilla, flat as a pancake.flat fee• One, for the World Resources Institute, compared ten cities that had pay-to-throw schemes with four others that charged flat fees.• At present, they pay a flat fee for a license.• You can either pay a flat fee for your access or pay per megabyte of traffic coming down your line.• Girobank charges a flat fee of £5 per draft and Barclays £9. gone flat• The effervescent eschatology of sunshine and wealth had gone flat.• What should be champagne music is no better than tepid Babycham that has gone flat.• Eventually, even her rage had gone flat and stale, leaving her with nothing but a sour taste in her mouth.• Much of the barley in the area has gone flat, he says.flatflat2 ●●● S2 W3 noun [countable] 1 place to live especially British EnglishFLAT a place for people to live that consists of a set of rooms that are part of a larger building SYN apartment They have a flat in Crouch End. a two-bedroom flat The building was knocked down to make way for a block of flats (=a large building with many flats in it). → granny flat2 tyreTTC especially American English a tyre that does not have enough air inside SYN flat tyre Damn, the car has a flat. He stopped to change a flat.3 music a) APMa musical note that is one semitone lower than a particular note b) APMthe sign (Ƅ) in written music that shows that a note is one semitone lower than a particular note → sharp, natural4 → flats5 → flats6 → the flat of somebody’s hand/a knife/a sword etc7 → on the flatCOLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + flatsmallThe flat was too small for the three of them.big/spaciousIt was a big flat with eight or nine rooms.cramped/poky (=too small and not comfortable)She spends most days shut up in a poky flat looking after her disabled Mum.a one-bedroom/two-bedroom etc flatShe lived in a one-bedroom flat in Clapham.a one-room/two-room etc flatTheir home is a humble two-room flat.a ground-floor/first-floor/second-floor etc flatWe’re moving into a first-floor flat.a basement flat (=a flat that is below ground level)They lived in a basement flat in South London.a studio flat (=with one main room)I might just be able to afford a tiny studio flat.high-rise flats (=flats in a very tall building)Many high-rise flats were built in the 1970s.a rented flatHe returned to his rented flat in Cheltenham.a luxury flatLaura shares a luxury flat with her sister Chloe.a self-contained flat (=a flat with its own kitchen and bathroom)We rented a self-contained flat in the city centre.a furnished/unfurnished flat (=a rented flat that does or does not have furniture)She found a job and a furnished flat.a holiday flatThe building has been converted into three holiday flats.phrasesa block of flats (=a large building divided into separate flats)At the time, I lived in a block of flats in St John’s Wood.verbslive in a flatTerry lived in a flat on the second floor.buy a flatI had planned to buy a flat with Geraldine.rent a flatRenting a flat can be very expensive in this part of town.move into a flatThey move into their new flat next week.own a flatThe couple own their own flat in Peebles. Examples from the Corpus
flat• Prices start from £40,995 for a studio and £49,995 for one-bedroom flats.• Sitting in the high-ceilinged library of his comfortable flat, he looks the part: bespectacled, a man of thoughtful pose.• Stella and Keith moved into a cold, damp flat together.• The Government is restoring several of them as holiday flats, a slow process but tastefully done.• Lisa lives on the nineteenth floor of a black of flats in London.• Headlines about local councils demolishing blocks of flats 10 years old or younger have become commonplace in the past four years.• a group of students in a shared flatblock of flats• I was billeted in a block of flats in St John's Wood - luxurious before the lush fittings had been removed.• But it's not a block of flats - it's more like half an ordinary house.• A block of flats now occupies the site.• Headlines about local councils demolishing blocks of flats 10 years old or younger have become commonplace in the past four years.• Two cyclists chased him, but he ducked in and out of blocks of flats and vanished.• The people who live in the same house or block of flats as you do. 2.• They clutter streets, smother blocks of flats and deface many homes.• In a number of areas local authorities have sold blocks of flats to private developers who then refurbish them prior to sale.change a flat• He had no useful information about the shooting that took place nearby as Cosby changed a flat tire, police said.• The doctoral student was apparently attempting to change a flat tire when his assailant struck. flatflat3 ●●○ adverb 1 flat positionFLAT in a position in which the surface of something is against another surface without curving or sloping The bed can be folded flat for storage. He lay flat on the floor. That night I lay flat on my back and stared up at the ceiling.2 → three minutes/ten seconds etc flat3 → fall flat4 musicAPM if you sing or play music flat, you sing or play slightly lower than the correct note so that the sound is unpleasant OPP sharp5 → fall flat on your/something's face6 → flat out7 → tell somebody flat → flat broke at broke2(1)Examples from the Corpus
flat• If you removed the future earnings, Baker told jurors, O. J. Simpson is flat broke.• They rest with their wings flat, but with the front wings covering their rear ones.• Stretched out flat, her feet pointing to the bow, she closed her eyes.• Deliberately he settled flat, inviting the pain to do its worst; quietly enjoying conquering it and himself.• You know how all the tires were flat out at the lake that night?• Attaching a deep heading tape Lay the curtains out flat with lining sides uppermost.lay flat• Melanie was waiting by the Transit holding two sleeping-bags, the sort that you can unzip and lay flat.• There was more scrub there, but not enough for anyone to hide, unless they lay flat.• She spread out her towel and lay flat, adjusting her sunglasses against the glare above.• For weeks he lay flat in his canoe while friends retraced their way back with him to Lake Michigan.• I lay flat on my back and stared up at the ceiling.• That night I lay flat on my back in the Sheraton mahogany bed, staring up at the ecru lace canopy.• They lay flat, under fire.From Longman Business Dictionaryflatflat1 /flæt/ adjective [only before a noun]1ECONOMICSa flat fee, price etc is fixed and does not change or have anything added to itWe charge a flat fee for car hire.Subscribers to the service have to pay a flat charge each month.2ECONOMICSif a market, economy etc is flat or sales are flat, levels of trade or sales are not increasingIn the USA, car sales were flat although truck sales increased.As demand for the company’s products stays flat and costs remain high, half-year profits have fallen by 70% to £15.1 million.3FINANCE if the stockmarket is flat, prices are not rising or fallingThe share market closed flat after spending the day trapped in a 10 point range.flatflat2 noun [countable] British EnglishPROPERTY a place where people live that consists of a set of rooms, usually on one floor, which are part of a larger buildingSYNAPARTMENTPrices start from £89,995 for one-bedroom flats.The building was knocked down to make way for a block of flats (=a large building divided into many separate flats).flatflat3 adverb1fall flat if something you are doing or planning falls flat, it is unsuccessfulTheir plans to build a retirement home in Spain fell flat.2flat out informal if you work flat out, you work as fast as possibleWorking flat out, the men completed the work by about ten-thirty on Saturday morning.Origin flat1 (1200-1300) Old Norse flatr flat2 1. (1800-1900) Scottish English flet “inside of a house” ((14-19 centuries)) (influenced by → FLAT1)2. (1200-1300) → FLAT1 