flatter1

[flat-er] /ˈflæt ər/
verb (used with object)
1.
to try to please by complimentary remarks or attention.
2.
to praise or compliment insincerely, effusively, or excessively:
She flatters him by constantly praising his books.
3.
to represent favorably; gratify by falsification:
The portrait flatters her.
4.
to show to advantage:
a hairstyle that flatters the face.
5.
to play upon the vanity or susceptibilities of; cajole, wheedle, or beguile:
They flattered him into contributing heavily to the foundation.
6.
to please or gratify by compliments or attentions:
I was flattered by their invitation.
7.
to feel satisfaction with (oneself), especially with reference to an accomplishment, act, or occasion:
He flattered himself that the dinner had gone well.
8.
to beguile with hope; encourage prematurely, falsely, etc.
verb (used without object)
9.
to use flattery.
Origin
1175-1225; Middle English flat(t)eren to float, flutter, fawn upon, Old English floterian to float, flutter; for sense development, cf. flicker1, Old Norse flathra; reinforced by Old French flatter to flatter, literally, to stroke, caress (probably < Frankish *flat- flat1)
Related forms
flatterable, adjective
flatterer, noun
flatteringly, adverb
half-flattered, adjective
half-flattering, adjective
half-flatteringly, adverb
unflatterable, adjective
unflattered, adjective
unflattering, adjective
unflatteringly, adverb

flatter2

[flat-er] /ˈflæt ər/
noun
1.
a person or thing that makes something flat.
2.
a flat-faced blacksmith's tool, laid on a forging and struck with a hammer to smooth the surface of the forging.
3.
a drawplate with a flat orifice for drawing flat metal strips, as for watch springs.
Origin
1705-15; flat1 + -er1

flat1

[flat] /flæt/
adjective, flatter, flattest.
1.
horizontally level:
a flat roof.
2.
level, even, or without unevenness of surface, as land or tabletops.
3.
having a surface that is without marked projections or depressions:
a broad, flat face.
4.
lying horizontally and at full length, as a person; prostrate:
He was flat on the canvas after the knockdown.
5.
lying wholly on or against something:
The banner was flat against the wall.
6.
thrown down, laid low, or level with the ground, as fallen trees or buildings.
7.
having a generally level shape or appearance; not deep or thick:
a flat plate.
8.
(of the heel of a shoe) low and broad.
9.
spread out, as an unrolled map or the open hand.
10.
deflated; collapsed:
a flat tire.
11.
absolute, downright, or positive; without qualification:
a flat denial.
12.
without modification or variation:
a flat rate.
13.
Informal. lacking money; broke.
14.
without vitality or animation; lifeless; dull:
flat writing.
15.
having lost its flavor, sharpness, or life, as wine or food; stale.
16.
(of a beverage) having lost its effervescence.
17.
without flavor; not spiced:
flat cooking.
18.
prosaic, banal, or insipid:
a flat style.
19.
pointless, as a remark or joke.
20.
commercially inactive:
a flat day in the stock market.
21.
(of a painting) not having the illusion of volume or depth.
22.
(of a photograph or painting) lacking contrast or gradations of tone or color.
23.
(of paint) without gloss; not shiny; mat.
24.
not clear, sharp, or ringing, as sound or a voice.
25.
lacking resonance and variation in pitch; monotonous:
a flat delivery of the speech.
26.
Music.
  1. (of a tone) lowered a half step in pitch:
    B flat.
  2. below an intended pitch, as a note; too low (opposed to sharp).
27.
Grammar. derived without change in form, as English to brush from the noun brush and adverbs that do not add -ly to the adjective form as fast, cheap, and slow.
28.
Phonetics. lenis; voiced.
29.
Nautical.
  1. cut with little or no fullness.
  2. trimmed as nearly fore-and-aft as possible, for sailing to windward.
30.
flat a, the a -sound (a) of glad, bat, or act.
noun
31.
something flat.
32.
a shoe, especially a woman's shoe, with a flat heel or no heel.
33.
a flat surface, side, or part of anything:
He struck me with the flat of his hand.
34.
flat or level ground; a flat area:
salt flats.
35.
a marsh, shoal, or shallow.
36.
Music.
  1. (in musical notation) the character ♭, which when attached to a note or to a staff degree lowers its significance one chromatic half step.
  2. a tone one chromatic half step below another:
    The flat of B is B flat.
  3. (on keyboard instruments, with reference to any given note) the key next below or to the left.
37.
Theater. a piece of scenery consisting of a wooden frame, usually rectangular, covered with lightweight board or fabric.
38.
a broad, thin book, chiefly for children:
a juvenile flat.
39.
Informal. a deflated automobile tire.
40.
(in postal use) a large flat package, as in a manila envelope, for mailing.
41.
Architecture. a flat roof or deck.
42.
Nautical.
  1. Also called platform. a partial deck between two full decks.
  2. a low, flat barge or lighter.
43.
Shipbuilding.
  1. a broad, flat piece of iron or steel for overlapping and joining two plates at their edges.
  2. a straight timber in a frame or other assembly of generally curved timbers.
44.
an iron or steel bar of rectangular cross section.
45.
Textiles. one of a series of laths covered with card clothing, used in conjunction with the cylinder in carding.
46.
Photography. one or more negatives or positives in position to be reproduced.
47.
Printing. a device for holding a negative or positive flat for reproduction by photoengraving.
48.
Horticulture. a shallow, lidless box or tray used for rooting seeds and cuttings and for growing young plants.
49.
a similar box used for shipping and selling fruits and vegetables.
50.
Football. the area of the field immediately inside of or outside of an offensive end, close behind or at the line of scrimmage.
51.
flats, Informal. flat races between horses.
Compare flat race.
verb (used with object), flatted, flatting.
52.
to make flat.
53.
Music. to lower (a pitch), especially one half step.
verb (used without object), flatted, flatting.
54.
to become flat.
adverb
55.
in a flat position; horizontally; levelly.
56.
in a flat manner; positively; absolutely.
57.
completely; utterly:
flat broke.
58.
exactly; precisely:
She ran around the track in two minutes flat.
59.
Music. below the true pitch:
to sing flat.
60.
Finance. without interest.
Verb phrases
61.
flat in, Nautical. to pull the clew of (a fore-and-aft sail) as nearly amidships as possible.
Also, flatten in.
Idioms
62.
fall flat, to fail to produce the desired effect; fail completely:
His attempts at humor fell flat.
63.
flat aft, Nautical. trimmed so that fore-and-aft sails present as flat a surface as possible, as in sailing close to the wind.
64.
flat on one's back. back (def 19).
65.
flat out, Informal.
  1. without hesitation; directly or openly:
    He told us flat out he'd been a double agent.
  2. at full speed or with maximum effort.
Origin
1275-1325; Middle English < Old Norse flatr, akin to Old English flet (see flat2), Greek platýs (see platy-, plate1
Related forms
flatly, adverb
flatness, noun
unflatted, adjective
Synonyms
1. plane. See level. 4. low, prone. 11. outright, peremptory, categorical. 14. boring, spiritless, prosaic. 17. vapid, unsavory.
Antonyms
1, 4. upright, vertical. 14. spirited. 17. savory.
Examples from the web for flatter
  • Do flatter and compliment your date on the way they look and the things they wear.
  • While a single fund's track record is clear enough, hedge fund index returns still flatter the average fund in the industry.
  • If you flatter your committee with the acknowledgements, maybe you will earn one less lashing in the defense.
  • The buttons have a flatter look, without shading that made them look round.
  • Simple appeals to the better angels of our nature flatter the appealer, but they tend not to change the world all by themselves.
  • It's face, for example, is flatter than other known australopithecines.
  • The marble-in-a-cage valve took up a lot of space, pressing on other body parts, so valve-makers sought a flatter design.
  • Sound is flatter and more trebly than comparably priced models.
  • Part of the reason is pricier petrol, but flatter house prices will also dampen the spending enthusiasm.
  • The forest canopy is now far above our heads, and the going is more open, flatter.
British Dictionary definitions for flatter

flatter1

/ˈflætə/
verb
1.
to praise insincerely, esp in order to win favour or reward
2.
to show to advantage: that dress flatters her
3.
(transitive) to make to appear more attractive, etc, than in reality
4.
to play upon or gratify the vanity of (a person): it flatters her to be remembered
5.
(transitive) to beguile with hope; encourage, esp falsely: this success flattered him into believing himself a champion
6.
(transitive) to congratulate or deceive (oneself): I flatter myself that I am the best
Derived Forms
flatterable, adjective
flatterer, noun
flatteringly, adverb
Word Origin
C13: probably from Old French flater to lick, fawn upon, of Frankish origin

flatter2

/ˈflætə/
noun
1.
a blacksmith's tool, resembling a flat-faced hammer, that is placed on forged work and struck to smooth the surface of the forging
2.
a die with a narrow rectangular orifice for drawing flat sections

flat1

/flæt/
adjective flatter, flattest
1.
horizontal; level: flat ground, a flat roof
2.
even or smooth, without projections or depressions: a flat surface
3.
lying stretched out at full length; prostrate: he lay flat on the ground
4.
having little depth or thickness; shallow: a flat dish
5.
(postpositive) often foll by against. having a surface or side in complete contact with another surface: flat against the wall
6.
spread out, unrolled, or levelled
7.
(of a tyre) deflated, either partially or completely
8.
(of shoes) having an unraised or only slightly raised heel
9.
(mainly Brit)
  1. (of races, racetracks, or racecourses) not having obstacles to be jumped
  2. of, relating to, or connected with flat racing as opposed to steeplechasing and hurdling: flat jockeys earn more
10.
without qualification; total: a flat denial
11.
without possibility of change; fixed: a flat rate
12.
(prenominal or immediately postpositive) neither more nor less; exact: he did the journey in thirty minutes flat, a flat thirty minutes
13.
unexciting or lacking point or interest: a flat joke
14.
without variation or resonance; monotonous: a flat voice
15.
(of food) stale or tasteless
16.
(of beer, sparkling wines, etc) having lost effervescence, as by exposure to air
17.
(of trade, business, a market, etc) commercially inactive; sluggish
18.
(of a battery) fully discharged; dead
19.
(of a print, photograph, or painting) lacking contrast or shading between tones
20.
(of paint) without gloss or lustre; matt
21.
(of a painting) lacking perspective
22.
(of lighting) diffuse
23.
(music)
  1. (immediately postpositive) denoting a note of a given letter name (or the sound it represents) that has been lowered in pitch by one chromatic semitone: B flat
  2. (of an instrument, voice, etc) out of tune by being too low in pitch Compare sharp (sense 12)
24.
(phonetics) another word for lenis
25.
(phonetics) flat a, the vowel sound of a as in the usual US or S Brit pronunciation of hand, cat, usually represented by the symbol (æ)
adverb
26.
in or into a prostrate, level, or flat state or position: he held his hand out flat
27.
completely or utterly; absolutely: he went flat against the rules
28.
exactly; precisely: in three minutes flat
29.
(music)
  1. lower than a standard pitch
  2. too low in pitch: she sings flat Compare sharp (sense 18)
30.
fall flat, to fail to achieve a desired effect, etc
31.
(informal) flat out
  1. with the maximum speed or effort
  2. totally exhausted
noun
32.
a flat object, surface, or part
33.
(often pl) a low-lying tract of land, esp a marsh or swamp
34.
(often pl) a mud bank exposed at low tide
35.
(music)
  1. an accidental that lowers the pitch of the following note by one chromatic semitone Usual symbol ♭
  2. a note affected by this accidental Compare sharp (sense 19)
36.
(theatre) a rectangular wooden frame covered with painted canvas, etc, used to form part of a stage setting
37.
a punctured car tyre
38.
(mainly Brit) ((often cap.)) the flat
  1. flat racing, esp as opposed to steeplechasing and hurdling
  2. the season of flat racing
39.
(nautical) a flatboat or lighter
40.
(US & Canadian) a shallow box or container, used for holding plants, growing seedlings, etc
verb flats, flatting, flatted
41.
to make or become flat
42.
(music) the usual US word for flatten (sense 3)
See also flats
Derived Forms
flatly, adverb
flatness, noun
Word Origin
C14: from Old Norse flatr; related to Old High German flaz flat, Greek platus flat, broad

flat2

/flæt/
noun
1.
a set of rooms comprising a residence entirely on one floor of a building Usual US and Canadian name apartment
2.
(Brit & NZ) a portion of a house used as separate living quarters
3.
(NZ) a house shared with people who are not members of one's own family
verb (intransitive) flats, flatting, flatted
4.
(Austral & NZ) to live in a flat (with someone)
Word Origin
Old English flett floor, hall, house; related to flat1
Word Origin and History for flatter
v.

early 13c., from Old French flater "to flatter" (13c.), originally "stroke with the hand, caress," from Frankish *flat "palm, flat of the hand" (see flat (adj.)). "[O]ne of many imitative verbs beginning with fl- and denoting unsteady or light, repeated movement" [Liberman]. Related: Flattered; flattering.

flat

adj.

early 14c., from Old Norse flatr, from Proto-Germanic *flataz (cf. Old Saxon flat "flat, shallow,: Old High German flaz "flat, level," Old English flet, Old High German flezzi "floor"), perhaps from PIE *plat- "to spread" (cf. Greek platys "broad, flat;" see plaice (n.)).

Sense of "prosaic, dull" is from 1570s; used of drink from c.1600; of musical notes from 1590s, because the tone is "lowered." Flat-out (adv.) "openly, directly" is from 1932; earlier it was a noun meaning "total failure" (1870, U.S. colloquial).

n.

1801, from Scottish flat "floor or story of a house," from Old English flet "a dwelling, floor, ground," from the same source as flat (adj.).

Idioms and Phrases with flatter

flat

also see: