Meaning & use
flat
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Having a surface that is level and even, without bumps, slopes, or curves.
Grammar: Describes shape; use more even or smoother rather than more flat in careful speech.
Patterns
- flat surface
- flat ground
- flat roof
- lie flat
The road was flat and easy to cycle.
Put the frame on a flat surface before hanging it.
They pitched the tent on flat ground near the lake.
nouncountableBritish
A set of rooms for living in, usually on one level of a larger building; an apartment.
Grammar: British English; in American English apartment is the usual word.
Patterns
- rent a flat
- a two-bedroom flat
- top-floor flat
She rents a small flat above the pharmacy.
The top-floor flat has a narrow balcony.
They bought a two-bedroom flat near the station.
adjectivenot comparable
Deflated or without power; said especially of a tire with no air or a battery with no charge.
Grammar: Predicative is common: The tire is flat; attributive also occurs: a flat battery.
Patterns
- flat tire
- flat battery
- go flat
We had a flat tire five miles from home.
My phone battery went flat during the storm.
The car would not start because the battery was flat.
adjectivenot comparable
Lacking sparkle, energy, or strong taste; dull or lifeless.
Grammar: Used for drinks, performances, moods, or writing.
Patterns
- taste flat
- go flat
- fall flat
- flat voice
The soda had gone flat after sitting open overnight.
His joke fell flat in the quiet room.
The critic called the second act flat and predictable.
adjectivebefore a noun
Fixed, exact, or complete; not varying or open to discussion.
Grammar: Usually before a noun: a flat rate; a flat refusal.
Patterns
- flat rate
- flat fee
- flat refusal
- flat denial
The service charges one flat fee for all repairs.
She gave a flat refusal and closed the door.
His denial was flat and left no room for doubt.
adjectivenot comparablemusic
Lower than the correct musical pitch by one semitone.
Grammar: Often written after the note name: B flat.
Patterns
- B flat
- E flat
- sing flat
The key signature has two flats, B flat and E flat.
She sang slightly flat on the last note.
Word forms
| comparative | flatter |
|---|---|
| superlative | flattest |
Common combinations
- flat surface
- Wipe the flat surface with a damp cloth.
- rent a flat
- Students often rent a flat close to campus.
- flat tire
- A flat tire delayed the delivery van.
- fall flat
- The surprise announcement fell flat because nobody believed it.
- flat rate
- Customers prefer a flat rate with no hidden charges.
Synonyms and how they differ
- level
- Level is close for surfaces and can describe eyes or scores; flat also covers apartments, tires, music, and fixed fees.
- even
- Even stresses regularity and no bumps, often for ground or texture; flat is broader.
- dull
- Dull fits taste, light, or interest; flat can mean those but also no air, no charge, or an apartment.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: flat or apartment? flat or flout?
flat vs apartment
Flat is the normal British word; apartment is normal in American English and often suggests a larger or rented unit.
flat vs flout
Flout means to ignore a rule openly; flat is unrelated in sound and spelling.
Practice
Choose the best meaning of flat in this sentence: The champagne tasted flat.
Choose one answer.
A drink that has lost its bubbles and tastes lifeless is flat. Glass shape, temperature, and ingredients do not define this sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “flat”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.