flat

II. flat² S2 W3 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Word Family: noun: ↑flat, ↑flatness; adverb: ↑flat, ↑flatly; verb: ↑flatten; adjective: ↑flat]
[Sense 1: Date: 1800-1900; Language: Scottish English; Origin: flet 'inside of a house' (14-19 centuries) (influenced by ⇨ ↑flat¹)]
[Sense 2-7: Date: 1200-1300; Origin: ⇨ ↑flat¹]
1. PLACE TO LIVE especially British English 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 flat
2. TYRE 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) a musical note that is one ↑semitone lower than a particular note
b) the sign (Ƅ) in written music that shows that a note is one ↑semitone lower than a particular note ⇨ sharp, natural
4. LAND flats [plural] an area of land that is at a low level, especially near water:
mud flats
5. SHOES flats [plural] American English a pair of women’s shoes with very low heels
6. the flat of sb’s hand/a knife/a sword etc the flat part or flat side of something
7. on the flat British English on ground that is level and does not slope
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + flat
▪ small The flat was too small for the three of them.
▪ big/spacious It 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 flat She lived in a one-bedroom flat in Clapham.
▪ a one-room/two-room etc flat Their home is a humble two-room flat.
▪ a ground-floor/first-floor/second-floor etc flat We’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 flat He returned to his rented flat in Cheltenham.
▪ a luxury flat Laura 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 flat The building has been converted into three holiday flats.
■ phrases
▪ a 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.
■ verbs
▪ live in a flat Terry lived in a flat on the second floor.
▪ buy a flat I had planned to buy a flat with Geraldine.
▪ rent a flat Renting a flat can be very expensive in this part of town.
▪ move into a flat They move into their new flat next week.
▪ own a flat The couple own their own flat in Peebles.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

ROOMS
1. countable (BrE) a set of rooms for living in, including a kitchen, usually on one floor of a building
• Do you live in a flat or a house?
• They're renting a furnished flat on the third floor.
• a ground-floor flat
• a new block of flats
• Many large old houses have been converted into flats.
• Children from the flats (= the block of flats) across the street were playing outside.

compare apartment

LEVEL PART

2. singular the ~ of sth the flat level part of sth
• He beat on the door with the flat of his hand.

• the flat of a sword

LAND

3. countable, usually plural an area of low flat land, especially near water
• salt flats

see also mudflat

HORSE RACING

4. the flat, the Flat singular (BrE) the season for racing horses on flat ground with no jumps

IN MUSIC
5. countable a note played a semitone/half tone lower than the note that is named. The written symbol is (♭)
• There are no sharps or flats in the key of C major.
Opp: sharp

compare natural

TYRE

6. countable (especially NAmE) a tyre that has lost air, usually because of a hole
• We got a flat on the way home.

• We had to stop to fix a flat.

IN THEATRE

7. countable (technical) a vertical section of scenery used on a theatre stage

SHOES
8. flats (also flat·ties) plural (informal) shoes with a very low heel
• a pair of flats
Word Origin:
adj. and adv. n. senses 2 to 8 Middle English Old Norse flatr
n. sense 1 early 19th cent. flet ‘floor, dwelling’ Germanic flat ‘level’

Collocations:
Moving house
Renting
live in a rented/(especially NAmE) rental property
rent/share/move into a furnished house/(BrE) flat/(especially NAmE) apartment
rent a studio/(BrE) a studio flat/(especially NAmE) a studio apartment/(BrE) a bedsit
find/get a housemate/(BrE) a flatmate/(NAmE) a roommate
sign/break the lease/rental agreement/contract
extend/renew/terminate the lease/(BrE) tenancy
afford/pay the rent/the bills/(NAmE) the utilities
(especially BrE) fall behind with/ (especially NAmE) fall behind on the rent
pay/lose/return a damage deposit/(NAmE) security deposit
give/receive a month's/two-weeks' notice to leave/vacate the property
Being a landlord
have a flat/apartment/room (BrE) to let/(especially NAmE) for rent
rent (out)/lease (out)/ (BrE) let (out)/sublet a flat/apartment/house/property
collect/increase/raise the rent
evict the existing tenants
attract/find new/prospective tenants
invest in rental property/(BrE) property to let/(BrE) the buy-to-let market
Buying
buy/acquire/purchase a house/(a) property/(especially NAmE) (a piece of) prime real estate
call/contact/use (BrE) an estate agent/(NAmE) a Realtor™/(NAmE) a real estate agent/broker
make/ (BrE) put in an offer on a house
put down/save for (BrE) a deposit on a house
make/put/save for (especially NAmE) a down payment on a house/home
apply for/arrange/take out a mortgage/home loan
(struggle to) pay the mortgage
make/meet/keep up/cover the monthly mortgage payments/(BrE also) repayments
(BrE) repossess/ (especially NAmE) foreclose on sb's home/house
Selling
put your house/property on the market/up for sale/up for auction
increase/lower your price/the asking price
have/hold/hand over the deed/(especially BrE) deeds of/to the house, land, etc.
Example Bank:
• Do you think that the council could find me another flat?
• Even the prices of small bachelor flats are unbelievable.
• I'll meet you back at your flat.
• Mendelssohn's Quintet in B flat
• Our flat is one of the two occupied in the block.
• She let herself into the flat with the spare key.
• She lives in the top flat.
• The flat is located in a modern development.
• The house has now been converted into flats.
• The key of E flat major has three flats.
• The landlady found they had been illegally subletting the flat.
• The musician rented a flat in a fashionable area of London.
• The tall blocks of flats dominated the skyline.
• These birds live on the coastal flats.
• They converted two rooms of their house into a granny flat for Tony's elderly mother.
• They have a flat in Paris and a house in Normandy.
• They live in the next flat.
• We got her a flat in the same block as ours.
• a block of high-rise flats
• a contract to refurbish 18 council flats
• a luxury block of flats overlooking the marina
• mud and sand flats rich in animal life
• the people who live in the downstairs flat
• Children from the flats across the street were playing outside.
• The landlord agreed to let a ground-floor flat to me.
• They're renting a furnished flat on the third floor.

• They've just started building a new block of flats near my mum's house.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

flat / flæt / noun [ C ] UK ( US apartment ) (HOME)

A1 a set of rooms for living in that are part of a larger building and are usually all on one floor:

a furnished/unfurnished flat

a block of flats

They have a house in the country and a flat in London.

→ See also flatmate

flat / flæt / noun (LEVEL GROUND)

[ C often plural ] an area of low, level ground, often near water:

The salt flats are used for motor racing.

The mud flats attract large numbers of birds.

the flat of your hand the palm and fingers when they are held straight and level:

He hit me with the flat of his hand.

be on the flat to be on a level surface, not on a slope or hill:

Most of the path is on the flat.

flat / flæt / noun [ C usually singular ] mainly US informal (TYRE WITHOUT AIR)

a flat tyre :

We were late because we had to stop and fix a flat.

flat / flæt / noun (SHOES)

flats

flats [ plural ] women's shoes without high heels:

I feel more comfortable in flats.

flat / flæt / noun [ C ] (MUSIC)

(a symbol for) a note that is a semitone lower than a stated note

See picture music reading

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

flat

/flæt/
(flats, flatter, flattest)

Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.

1.
A flat is a set of rooms for living in, usually on one floor and part of a larger building. A flat usually includes a kitchen and bathroom. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use apartment)
Sara lives with her husband and children in a flat in central London...
It started a fire in a block of flats...
Later on, Victor from flat 10 called.
= apartment
N-COUNT: also N num

2.
Something that is flat is level, smooth, or even, rather than sloping, curved, or uneven.
Tiles can be fixed to any surface as long as it’s flat, firm and dry...
After a moment his right hand moved across the cloth, smoothing it flat...
The sea was calm, perfectly flat.
ADJ

3.
Flat means horizontal and not upright.
Two men near him threw themselves flat...
As heartburn is usually worse when you’re lying down in bed, you should avoid lying flat.
ADJ: ADJ n, v-link ADJ, ADJ after v

4.
A flat object is not very tall or deep in relation to its length and width.
Ellen is walking down the drive with a square flat box balanced on one hand.
= shallow
ADJ: usu ADJ n

5.
Flat land is level, with no high hills or other raised parts.
To the north lie the flat and fertile farmlands of the Solway plain...
The landscape became wider, flatter and very scenic...
ADJ: ADJ n, v-link ADJ, ADJ after v

6.
A low flat area of uncultivated land, especially an area where the ground is soft and wet, can be referred to as flats or a flat.
The salt marshes and mud flats attract large numbers of waterfowl.
N-COUNT: usu pl, usu n N

7.
You can refer to one of the broad flat surfaces of an object as the flat of that object.
He slammed the counter with the flat of his hand.
...eight cloves of garlic crushed with the flat of a knife.
N-COUNT: usu sing, the N of n

8.
Flat shoes have no heels or very low heels.
People wear slacks, sweaters, flat shoes, and all manner of casual attire for travel.
ADJ: usu ADJ n
•
Flats are flat shoes. (AM)
His mother looked ten years younger in jeans and flats.
N-PLURAL

9.
A flat tyre, ball, or balloon does not have enough air in it.
ADJ

10.
A flat is a tyre that does not have enough air in it.
Then, after I finally got back on the highway, I developed a flat.
N-COUNT

11.
A drink that is flat is no longer fizzy.
Could this really stop the champagne from going flat?
≠ fizzy
ADJ

12.
A flat battery has lost some or all of its electrical charge. (mainly BRIT; in AM, use dead)
His car alarm had been going off for two days and, as a result, the battery was flat.
ADJ

13.
If you have flat feet, the arches of your feet are too low.
The condition of flat feet runs in families.
ADJ

14.
A flat denial or refusal is definite and firm, and is unlikely to be changed.
The Foreign Ministry has issued a flat denial of any involvement...
ADJ: ADJ n
• flat‧ly
He flatly refused to discuss it...
ADV: usu ADV with v, also ADV adj

15.
If you say that something happened, for example, in ten seconds flat or ten minutes flat, you are emphasizing that it happened surprisingly quickly and only took ten seconds or ten minutes.
You’re sitting behind an engine that’ll move you from 0 to 60mph in six seconds flat...
ADJ: num n ADJ [emphasis]

16.
A flat rate, price, or percentage is one that is fixed and which applies in every situation.
Fees are charged at a flat rate, rather than on a percentage basis...
Sometimes there’s a flat fee for carrying out a particular task...
= fixed
≠ variable
ADJ: ADJ n

17.
If trade or business is flat, it is slow and inactive, rather than busy and improving or increasing.
During the first eight months of this year, sales of big pickups were up 14% while car sales stayed flat...
= sluggish
ADJ

18.
If you describe something as flat, you mean that it is dull and not exciting or interesting.
The past few days have seemed comparatively flat and empty...
ADJ

19.
You use flat to describe someone’s voice when they are saying something without expressing any emotion.
‘Whatever you say,’ he said in a deadly flat voice. ‘I’ll sit here and wait.’...
Her voice was flat, with no question or hope in it.
ADJ
• flat‧ly
I know you,’ he said flatly, matter-of-fact, neutral in tone.
ADV: ADV after v

20.
Flat is used after a letter representing a musical note to show that the note should be played or sung half a tone lower than the note which otherwise matches that letter. Flat is often represented by the symbol ♭ after the letter.
...Schubert’s B flat Piano Trio (Opus 99).
≠ sharp
ADJ: n ADJ

21.
If someone sings flat or if a musical instrument is flat, their singing or the instrument is slightly lower in pitch than it should be.
Her vocal range was, to say the least of it, limited, and she had a distressing tendency to sing flat.
ADV: ADV after v
•
Flat is also an adjective.
He had been fired because his singing was flat.
ADJ

22.
If you say that something is as flat as a pancake, you are emphasizing that it is completely flat.
My home state of Illinois is flat as a pancake...
PHRASE: v-link PHR [emphasis]

23.
If you fall flat on your face, you fall over.
A man walked in off the street and fell flat on his face, unconscious.
PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR on n

24.
If an event or attempt falls flat or falls flat on its face, it is unsuccessful.
Liz meant it as a joke but it fell flat...
If it wasn’t for the main actress, Ellen Barkin, the plot would have fallen flat on its face.
= fail
PHRASE: V inflects

25.
If you say that you are flat broke, you mean that you have no money at all. (INFORMAL)
Two years later he is flat broke and on the dole.
= skint
PHRASE: v-link PHR [emphasis]

26.
If you do something flat out, you do it as fast or as hard as you can.
Everyone is working flat out to try to trap those responsible...
They hurtled across the line in a flat-out sprint.
PHRASE: PHR after v, PHR n

27.
You use flat out to emphasize that something is completely the case. (mainly AM INFORMAL)
That allegation is a flat-out lie...
PHRASE: PHR n/adj, PHR with v [emphasis]

28.
On the flat means on level ground.
He had angina and was unable to walk for more than 200 yards on the flat.
PHRASE

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

²flat noun, pl flats [count]
1 : a level area of land - usually plural
• salt flats
• tidal flats
2 : a flat part or surface
• the flat of your hand
• the flat of a sword
3 a : a musical note that is one semitone lower than a specified note
• B flat
b : a written symbol ♭ that is placed before a note to show that it should be played a semitone lower - compare ²natural, ³sharp
4 US : a shallow box in which young plants are grown
5 chiefly US : a shoe or slipper that has a flat heel or no heel - usually plural
• She wore a casual dress and flats to the show.
6 chiefly Brit : an apartment typically on one floor
• They moved out of their old flat.
- compare apartment
7 : a tire that does not have enough air
• I drove over a nail and got a flat.
• fix a flat