1Having a level surface; without raised areas or indentations.

修整蛋糕的表面，使之完全变平。

1. 1.1 (of land) without hills.
   （陆地）平坦的
   thirty-five acres of flat countryside

   35英亩平坦的乡野。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Most of the ride is on quiet roads and cycle paths over flat terrain, with the occasional gentle hill.
   • The topography of the county ranges from low rolling hills in the north to very flat terrain or gentle sloping ridges in the south.
   • The terrain was flat and unspectacular.
   • In contrast, the western half of the route is nearly flat and offers long, expansive views across large sweeps of farmland.
   • The bright, flat landscape filled her view, radiant with heat.
   • I love the wonderful flat landscape with its wide skies where so many flocks of birds fly freely.
   • Except for mountain chains in the north and west along the Norwegian border, the land is relatively flat.
   • The city sits on high, flat plains 12 miles east of the Rockies.
   • Flanders, in contrast, is a land of flat country and few hills.
   • The walk follows flat riverside pastures for virtually all the way, though numerous stiles and kissing gates need to be negotiated and walking boots are essential.
   • The surrounding land is flat and open farmland surrounded by forest.
   • The terrain is relatively flat, with good cycle and footpath connections to adjacent suburbs.
   • Back home Harry and I returned to our window, to look out at the sad, flat landscape under a sky that was not so much leaden as plain tired.
   • The land is flat, and perhaps it's my imagination, but it appears stunted and less fertile than the hills and mountains to the north east.
   • Most of the land is flat, barren tundra where only the top few inches of the frozen earth thaw out during the summer months.
   • We drive through flat wastelands of scrub and dust.
   • Because of the flat terrain, a bicycle is the best form of transportation to use in the city.
   • A fruit and vegetable farm was located on the flat plains of Western Kansas.
   • He was standing on a flat desert plain under white clouds and blue sky.
   • My creative work today was limited of course but I did manage to walk a little way up the lane to snap a photograph of the view over the flat fields I see all about me.
2. 1.2 (of an expanse of water) calm and without waves.
   （水面）平静的，波澜不兴的
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Lights from a large cargo ship reflected on the flat, still water.
   • The water was flat calm, about a foot deep with a very soft bottom.
   • But now that the sun was fully out, he could see beyond the breakers, way beyond the waves to the flat water at the back.
   • Most cat anglers in my experience seem to be converted carp anglers, used to fishing flat calm waters where the fish are as likely to take a boilie as a dead or livebait.
   • Floating on calm, flat water, some thought that it represented human dominance over nature.
   • To the south the flat expanse of Lake Dokan shone greasily in the low evening light like fish scales.
   • The air was hot, stale and oppressive, the sea as flat and lifeless as some dead thing.

   Synonyms

   calm, still, tranquil, pacific, undisturbed, without waves, like a millpond

   glassy, motionless, waveless, unagitated

   literary stilly
3. 1.3 Not sloping.
   无坡度的，平坦的
   the flat roof of a garage

   车库的平屋顶。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • The flat roofs that leak need to be replaced, as do the heating system and the windows.
   • Combining the three spaces involved more than removing walls and raising the kitchen's flat ceiling.
   • The huts had flat roofs; some even had things on top of them.
   • Snow lying on a flat field is fairly dormant, but snow lying on a slope is inherently alive, thanks to the pull of gravity.
   • The school accused the Council of dragging its heels over a replacement for a flat roof which was constantly being patched up because of leaks.
   • Withdrawing from the edge, I ducked under the rafter of the flat roof.
   • One solution would be to build a new bathroom on top of the flat roof of the kitchen extension, allowing the existing bathroom to be used to mount a staircase to the loft.
   • Combined with replacement of the flat roof over the front of the building, it is estimated the essential repairs will cost £100,000.
   • Some of the youngsters kicked a football at the tiled roof, while others ran along the flat part of the roof jumping from one building to the next.
   • The car usually had to be parked on a slope in order to aid ‘bump-starting’ but as the forecourt was flat, we knew that the car would need to be pushed.
   • It stated that the stairwell tower should be reduced in height by removing the pitched roof and replacing it with a flat roof.
   • The nursery building, which was converted in the 1980s, has a flat roof that first started leaking last year.
   • But a way has been found to replace the flat roof that does not interfere with the life of the school, and the work is getting on well.
   • The city has rebuilt the flat roofs of about 2,500 houses since 2000.
   • The burglars used a nearby ladder to climb onto a flat roof before forcing open a window.
   • Insulating your flat roof would be a fairly basic DIY job.
   • The flat roof in the girls toilet has fallen in so when it rains, it is flooded.
   • The double-height section between the elevated bedrooms is covered with a flat glass roof.
   • A leaking roof can lead to damage on ceilings and walls, so it is important to replace loose or cracked slates, and get damaged material on flat roofs repaired.
   • The older parts of the university are all built of the same plain light brown brick rising in columns, with long windows between them, and simple flat roofs.

   Synonyms

   level, horizontal, levelled
4. 1.4 Having a broad level surface but little height or depth; shallow.
   低的；扁的；浅的
   a flat rectangular box

   一个长方形的扁盒子。

   a flat cap

   一面光滑的墙。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • It wasn't like this in the flat cap days of my grandfather, but I bet that even he wished that he had two tweed jackets instead of one.
   • The guitarist looks like an accountant, the drummer stands up behind his kit to play whilst wearing a flat cap.
   • Connor, resplendent in blue overcoat and black flat cap, hardly stood still.
   • The beaver uses its flat tail to warn other beavers of danger by slapping the water surface before diving.
   • Once outside, Cordelia pulled out a flat aqua cellphone, the size of a playing card when it was closed.
   • His flat cap and round rimmed glasses are his trademark.
   • In surviving examples, the handle assumes a broad flat circular shape so that the lid could be turned over and function as a bowl or plate for the food held in the container.
   • I could walk it - and wouldn't even need my flat cap and plastic mac.
   • He is the old bloke with the flat cap and the transistor radio, isn't he?
   • The guy with the flat cap and hearing aid was standing in the door.
   • Put the discs of cheese in a flat dish, tuck in the sprigs of thyme, the lightly crushed peppercorns and the bay leaves then pour over the olive oil.
   • So I'm standing on the platform, and I see an older guy, in quite a distinctive flat cap.
   • Apparently he left the venue wearing a flat cap.
   • Outside the grand clubhouse, you almost expect chaps to be wandering around in plus-fours and flat caps.
   • She produced a flat black box, a little smaller than a directory.
   • Approximately 25 cm long, the animal has a flat tail surrounded by a skin-like fin which is used for swimming.
   • Most men covered their heads with flat wool caps or skullcaps or turbans in a variety of sizes and colours.
   • Quickly coat the orange slices in the caramel and pour on to a flat plate; act with speed otherwise the caramel will set before you can get it out of the saucepan.
   • People used to think the earth was flat and the universe revolved around it.
   • The tube has a flat, wide cap and is meant to be stored upright.

   Synonyms

   shallow, not deep, wide
5. 1.5 (of shoes) without heels or with very low heels.
   （鞋）平跟的；低跟的
   Example sentencesExamples

   • At least it's a nice purple, Grace had said with a shrug, flouncing towards the car in her nice, black dress, and flat sandals.
   • At the time she was wearing flat shoes, her work uniform and was carrying a handbag over her left shoulder.
   • Pop a jacket over it and you could wear it to a wedding; add a knit and flat sandals, and it's good for daywear.
   • Wear thick-soled flat footwear, particularly if you'll be standing on one rung for long periods, and make sure your shoelaces are securely tied.
   • While you can get away with flat shoes during summer, opt for a slight heel for the colder months.
   • I wear flat shoes for walking to work but otherwise it's high heels.
   • There are theories that men sprinting in flat shoes get out faster than women hampered by heels or waiting to help a colleague.
   • Although flat shoes are better for your feet because they reduce the risk of lateral ankle sprains, they also bring their own problems.
   • She had changed from her high heels into flat tennis shoes, and wore a small shoulder purse draped over one shoulder and around her neck.
   • The dancers are in flat slippers, the costumes are in bold autumnal colours of magenta, orange and dark yellow, and the girls have their hair loose.
   • Swap your sensible flat shoes for heels, add a glittery scarf and statement jewellery.
   • An itsy-bitsy kitten heel keeps the flat shoe feeling, but give some extra lift to your step.
   • The women of New York are wearing flat sandals - and looking stunning.
   • If high heels are too uncomfortable, why not just wear flat shoes?
   • She walked on down the passageway, her soft flat shoes making no sound.
   • The girl was dressed in a very long black coat and wearing a pair of white flat sandals.
   • We followed the guide as she strode forward on her flat shoes and up the marble staircase past election posters, now already peeling after their usefulness was expended.
   • How is it that flat shoes hurt more than high heels?
   • As I live in the country with three young children, a big dog and a pony, it has to be flat shoes or boots most of the time.
   • She scraped her flat shoes across the ground to dislodge any stale mud and walked to the centre of the alley.

   Synonyms

   low, low-heeled, heelless, without heels

2Lacking emotion; dull and lifeless.

他说了声“很抱歉，"语气平板。

1. 2.1 (of a person) without energy or enthusiasm.
   （人）没精打采的；颓废的，情绪低落的
   his sense of intoxication wore off until he felt flat and weary

   他的陶醉感渐渐消失，终于，他感到没精打采，疲惫不堪。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • In a word, Fuller excepted, they were flat, and despite the bluster one wonders who exactly will muster the requisite spark when he makes his exit.
   • I was feeling a little flat after the no cool down, no food, and beer combo of the night before.
   • At the start of the year in Adelaide and Auckland he was flat at the beginning of every match and could not get himself fired up.
   • His voice was still slightly flat though Elizabeth could tell he really did like Sam.
   • He is normally fired up and fluent, but this time he was flat and unable to find anything fresh to say about yet another defeat.
   • I came on and they were flat and tired and stressy.

   Synonyms

   depressed, dejected, dispirited, despondent, downhearted, disheartened, discouraged, low, low-spirited, down, gloomy, glum, unhappy, blue, desolate, weighed down, oppressed

   without energy, enervated, sapped, weary, tired out, worn out, exhausted, devitalized, drained

   informal down in the mouth, down in the dumps
2. 2.2 (of trade, prices, etc.) not showing much activity; sluggish.
   （市场、价格等）疲软的，萧条的
   the UK housing market was flat

   Example sentencesExamples

   • At many companies sales are flat or down - sometimes way, way down.
   • While overall world oil demand was essentially flat in 1993, demand in the Western Pacific rose four percent.
   • The group said that despite higher volumes, the Republic of Ireland's trading profits were broadly flat in a pretty buoyant market.
   • The company posted an encouraging increase in pre-tax profit even though turnover remained essentially flat.
   • Following two months of flat sales, retail spending rose by 1.3 percent in October.
   • Wage growth was essentially flat over the past year.
   • Even so, its new forecast of flat prices looks plausible and matches my view.
   • Here in Australia, retail sales are already flat, apparently because consumers are avoiding using their cars and staying at home.
   • Then, late last year, sales were nearly flat and actually declined in some categories.
   • Consumer demand is flat and business bankruptcies are rising.
   • Consumer spending may not look too resilient, given the flat performance of retail sales in October.
   • Even in years when economic growth is flat or negative, electricity consumption nearly always increases.
   • The shop's optimism is set against other major retailers' expectations for flat trading next year.
   • Locally, hiring is expected to remain virtually flat this year.
   • The company has been in a prolonged slump, with flat sales in the United States and a stock price to match.
   • Its sales were relatively flat in 2001, due in part to lower gasoline prices affecting its stores with fuel pumps.
   • But sales have been flat for the embattled company, whose CEO was recently ousted.
   • The overall level of crime is flat and shows the impact the Safer Neighbourhood Teams are having on low-level crime such as shoplifting.
   • Overall sales have been flat for five years.
   • At least, flat prices or the absence of inflation is a darn good thing for consumers.

   Synonyms

   slow, inactive, sluggish, slow-moving, slack, quiet, not busy, depressed, stagnant, static, dead, unproductive
3. 2.3 (of a colour) uniform.
   （颜色）无层次的，无变化的
   a flat shade of grey

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Time passed and the light outside remained the same flat grey as snow kept falling, icing the windows over.
   • It was different than other tattoos in the fact that it was in metallic gold, most were done in dull flat colours.
   • There are other panels with flat planes of tertiary colour, some with simple linear designs.
   • His style is stark and angular, relying heavily on the use of flat colour and silhouettes.
   • The walls were more definite in their colour, more flat.
   • The textile is placed awkwardly on top of the table, creating areas of strong, flat colour and signalling Matisse's future as a painter.
   • Francis Towne was a landscape painter whose idiosyncratic style relied on economic and careful pen outlines and flat muted washes of colour.
   • He used bold, poster-like contrasts of form and colour, with strong black outlines and extensive areas of flat, uniform colour.
   • You sort of notice perspective and lines and flat planes of colour.
   • Two other monitors off to one side emit changing flat colours from their screens, and a dull but insistent techno-type soundtrack.
4. 2.4 (of a photograph or negative) lacking contrast.
   （照片，底片）无深浅对比的，无明暗的
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Blasting the subject with a sea of light produces flat, wishy-washy photographs.
   • This photograph was flat, with very little contrast and some noticeable scratches, dust spots, pen marks and other discolorations.
   • I have some flat negatives that really need a tonal boost.

3(of a sparkling drink) having lost its effervescence.

1. 3.1 (of something kept inflated, especially a tyre) having lost some or all of its air, typically because of a puncture.
   （尤指轮胎等膨胀物因刺穿而）漏气的；没气的
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Only a flat tyre cost them an even better result.
   • A youngster was left in tears after his bike was snatched as he fixed a flat tyre.
   • A woman had been driving down a freeway, and had had a flat tyre.
   • Police believe the gunman struck last Wednesday, as the victim changed a flat tyre on his car after his colleagues had left for the day.
   • The guy says that he is quite happy to help and he closes his car door, the girl showing him to a nearby parking lot where her car sits on a flat tyre.
   • To take my mind off what was in store for me, I chatted to the owner of the racing bike next to mine while she efficiently changed a flat tyre tube.
   • Most are untaxed, others carry out-of-date tax discs and virtually all have flat tyres or have been vandalised and are obviously dumped.
   • He even rode the last 40 km of the final stage with two flat tyres.
   • On one particular trip my dad's car got a flat tyre and only just made it to the half-way stop.
   • He was picked up because he was driving with a flat tyre.
   • There is nothing you can do about a flat tyre but as a team we have very few mechanical problems as everything is checked thoroughly.
   • The first warning came when I first grabbed my bike. My back tire was completely flat.
   • In September last year a gang of vandals left a trail of destruction in Clifton Street when residents woke up to find almost every vehicle on one side of the road had flat tyres.
   • You would not run your car with a flat tyre for twelve months without expecting further damage than the burst tyre.
   • When they reached the jeep, Abby noticed that she had a flat tire.
   • His bike had a flat tire, but that was to be expected.
   • He then discovered he had a flat tyre and took his car back into the garage to deal with it.
   • In this case, the only damage caused to the civilian was a flat tyre.
   • The accident expert would also investigate allegations that the bus had a flat tyre at the time of the accident.
   • He soon trades it for a mountain bike with a flat tyre and a modest handful of small gold coins.

   Synonyms

   deflated, punctured, burst, collapsed, blown out, ruptured, pierced, empty of air, decompressed, depressurized
2. 3.2British (of a battery) having exhausted its charge.
   〈英〉（蓄电池）无电的，电力不足的
   Example sentencesExamples

   • His battery went flat just before the cars were due to go on to the grid and he was forced to start from the pitlane.
   • One of the most irksome things that can happen to a mobile phone user is a flat battery, and the charging devices are designed to solve the problem.
   • There is just one small problem: the batteries have gone flat.
   • And you know how, when the battery's flat, your car makes a dispiriting grinding noise as you try starting it?
   • I thought my battery was flat and got out to check the lights.
   • Even to this day I cannot let a car stand for more than about 72 hours without at least starting it to make sure the battery isn't flat.
   • I went up to Church Road to retrieve my wife's car but by this time the battery had gone flat due to having the lights having been left on.
   • Booked the car in for a thorough inspection of its electrical system, following one flat battery too many.
   • There were two smoke alarms installed in the house, but one had been disconnected and the second had flat batteries.
   • My 1996 Mercedes suffers a flat battery in just a couple of weeks if left undriven.
   • Bennett ends up having to turn his music down, recharge her van's flat battery, and become her reluctant carer.
   • Have you noticed for example, friends and workmates asking you for their best friend's phone number because their mobile battery is flat?
   • The car was pushed 20-feet up the street but then abandoned with a flat battery.
   • They charged me over £100 just to recharge a flat battery - the car broke down again on my way home but luckily on a main road near home.
   • I grabbed the phone and realised the battery was flat; before I'd even got to the phone the car had sped away.
   • You need to make sure everything is backed up on your home computer - a flat battery in your PDA can wipe out all your data in one go.
   • I had some shopping to do and jumped in my vehicle only to find the battery was flat.
   • It turned out not to be a straight case of a flat battery.
   • Invariably the battery is totally flat on Monday and the car will not start.
   • Sometimes the battery was flat and needed topping up.

   Synonyms

   expired, dead, finished, used up, run out

   informal kaput, dud

   British informal duff

4attributive (of a fee, wage, or price) the same in all cases, not varying with changed conditions or in particular cases.

1. 4.1 (of a denial, contradiction, or refusal) completely definite and firm; absolute.
   （否认、反驳或拒绝）断然的；绝对的，不容置疑的
   the request was met with a flat refusal

   Example sentencesExamples

   • That's the best weapon we have against these evil people, our flat refusal to allow them to divert us more than momentarily from our daily lives.
   • Well, I know it came out like a flat denial, and I think one of the things I can do is clear it up.
   • Because the individual himself is at stake during the seduction, he cannot risk a flat refusal from the potential partner.
   • Perkins issued a flat denial that he had ever had anything to do with Duke, and he denounced him for good measure.
   • The news flies in the face of flat denials by the BBC in Glasgow.
   • Then comes the flat proclamation that nothing happened to civilians; nothing whatever.
   • He couldn't afford to take it, not as it currently stood, but a flat refusal would stiffen the old man's position.
   • And there does seem to be a pretty flat contradiction between those two points.
   • But with an official investigation underway, even a flat denial from head office won't still the rumors.
   • He reacted furiously to the news of the mutiny of the soldiers, rushing to the scene after their flat refusal to fight.
   • So when I brought this helmet home for him to try out, I expected a flat refusal.
   • On many occasions they have demanded information on the terms of the deal, but met with a flat refusal.
   • When I reached the desk, I got blank faces and flat refusals.
   • This provocative thesis elicits flat denials from both governments.
   • As an observer, I can testify that the comments made by these powerful and successful people were in flat contradiction to the caricature.
   • Amazingly, this sharp slowdown in consumer spending, though lasting for half a year, has been met with flat denial all around.
   • In 2004, the media has not made an issue over Teresa Heinz's flat refusal to release her tax returns.
   • Firstly, a flat rebuttal of another's opinion is not in itself a statement of fact, simply a disagreement in terms.
   • Media bias is not exclusive to Australia, nor is the flat denial of its existence by those who clearly display it.
   • The flat denials at the start of the week changed instead to a promise of full co-operation.

   Synonyms

   outright, direct, point blank, out and out, downright, absolute, definite, positive, straight, stark, all out

   plain, explicit

   firm, resolute, adamant, assertive, emphatic, insistent, final, conclusive

   complete, utter, categorical, unconditional, sheer, thorough, thoroughgoing

   unqualified, unmodified, unequivocal, unquestionable, unrestricted, unmitigated

5(of musical sound) below true or normal pitch.

1. 5.1postpositive (of a key) having a flat or flats in the signature.
   （音调）注有降音符的
   Example sentencesExamples

   • As with the sharp key signatures, there is an easy way to determine the key of a particular flat key signature.
   • Without moving up or down the fingerboard more than one fret, you should be able to pick out each successive sharp or flat key and play that Major scale.
2. 5.2postpositive (of a note) a semitone lower than a specified note.
   （音调）降半音的
   E flat

   降E调。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Nonetheless, a movement such as the Largo in the B flat concerto can only amaze with its expressiveness and power.
   • For example, the coda of the great Schubert B flat sonata was played at a breakneck pace and was technically perfect.
   • The concert opened with a riveting account of Haydn's late E flat Sonata.
   • Mozart had with him a B flat string quintet with two violas written when he was sixteen and just back from his third Italian journey.
   • Arranged for trumpet sextet and a continuo instrument (bassoon or euphonium are suggested), this piece can be performed in B-flat, C or D.
   • We played the Schubert B flat Trio and the Tchaikovsky.
   • Sound does travel in space, evidenced by the B flat note emanating from a black hole discovered by scientists in the last couple weeks.

6Relating to flat racing.

无障碍平地赛马季节。

1In or to a horizontal position.

他仰面平躺着。

她当时被冲击波撞倒在地，直挺挺地躺在那里。

1. 1.1 Lying in close juxtaposition, especially against another surface.
   平贴着
   his black curly hair was blown flat across his skull

   他卷曲的黑发被风吹得平贴在头顶上。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Sit on a leg press machine, feet flat on the foot plate, about the same distance apart as they are on the bike, knees bent.
   • Hold your thighs flat against the padded surface and slowly begin to curl your lower legs up as far as possible.
   • She sank back into the cushions, closed her eyes and placed both palms flat over her eyelids.
   • But she captured me, pulling me close, her palms flat against my back.
   • His hair is flat on his head and he looks a bit too calm for a moment.
   • Be sure that the angle cut at the end of the legs are flat against the bottom of the table top.
   • He kept throwing glances at the river with ears flat against his skull.
   • The woman laid her hands flat against the stone as she leaned toward him.
   • Put your palms flat on the wall at head height so you're positioned to do push-ups against the wall.
   • I became completely still and serene, my hands pressing her shoulders flat against the earth.
   • Keep your shoulder blades flat against the wall, with a slight arch in your low back.
   • They can raise their crests or keep them flat against their heads.
   • The puppy's coat should be black and shiny and lie flat to the body.
   • Buffy stood still looking straight at the wall, palms flat against it.
   • The suit should be flat against your shoulder blades, with no wrinkles on the rear.
   • Marisa nodded, placing her palms flat on the hull beside his.
   • Placing your knees up and your feet flat on the bench helps to protect your lower back, which again can be vulnerable if you compromise form.
   • Before she could try to move away, he put his palms flat against the wall around her.
   • The New Orleans artist installed her work flat against the wall.
   • Sure enough, a beautiful sword lay flat against the wall.
2. 1.2 So as to become smooth and even.
   平整地
   I hammered the metal flat

   我用铁锤把那块金属敲平了。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • I am also a vegetarian and attempt to relocate spiders rather than squashing them flat.
   • Leaves, soft plants and rotting branches were crushed absolutely flat.
   • He takes a slow deep breath, and smoothes flat a piece of paper.
   • Press crumb mixture into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan, using waxed paper to press crumbs flat.
   • But there were no bottles in them, and when she had finished and was folding the bags flat, he cleared his throat.
   • Cover your sand form with sheets of wet newspaper to keep the mud walls from sticking to the sand form, smoothing the sheets flat.

2informal Completely; absolutely.

1. 2.1 Used with an expression of time to emphasize how quickly something can be done or has been done.
   仅仅，只（用在时间后强调动作迅速）
   you can prepare a healthy meal in ten minutes flat

   只需十分钟您便能做好一顿健康餐。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • A second site done shortly afterward was completed in two days flat, largely due to efficiencies gained in diverting the creek.
   • But a note at the end asserts that this document was produced in three weeks flat after a Senate demand and was accordingly sloppy and full of errors.
   • It imploded and came crumbling down all around the grounds in 37 seconds flat.
   • He could completely clear the husk of a coconut in 34 seconds flat.
   • I'd never have got that job done in two hours flat on my own.
   • Even conversations with friends were completed in under 3 minutes flat.
   • It didn't stop me being ready in about 30 minutes flat, though.
   • The large chains also home deliver but not in 10 minutes flat.
   • He is not happy because the new stadium is not being built in 10 minutes flat.
   • Soon I could knock off a set in about 20 minutes flat, including cleaning up.
   • Shot extensively in Bangkok and Thailand, the film was completed in 35 days flat.
   • In no time flat the available walls were full of public notices, goods and services for sale, community event posters and news from the animal shelter.
   • In five years flat, it has given the city a remarkable facelift.
   • Bookshops this Christmas are piled high with short novelty volumes knocked off by their authors in a couple of hours flat.
   • The language of the book is simple and straight and its fine printing makes it all the more easy to complete reading the book in 24 hours flat!
   • The art directors did a super job in four hours flat to convert the garage into the movie production office within the film.
   • It shot into the charts at number 10, unheard of in those days, but stalled well short of the expected number 1 slot and vanished from the charts in six weeks flat.
   • She was at the house in 10 minutes flat.
   • The last leg, a distance of 70-odd km, was covered in six hours flat.
   • To them, it did not matter that the actress turned up 30 minutes late or that she whizzed in and out of the store in 20 minutes flat.

3Below the true or normal pitch of musical sound.

问题不是调子唱低了，而是干脆就唱跑了调。

1The flat part of something.

她用手掌盖住自己的玻璃杯。

1. 1.1usually flats An area of low level ground, especially near water.
   （尤指近水）低地；浅滩，沙洲
   the shingle flats of the lake

   湖畔的鹅卵石浅滩。参见MUDFLAT。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Traditional places to try would be the sand flats in the area below the ferry and around Pimlico Island.
   • He explains that because of the unstable ground on the river flats, holes dug for the foundations kept caving in.
   • I reach a small flat and remove my pack, look down, and see Asia about 50 feet away.
   • I've been to mud flats where there's a six-foot difference between high tide and low tide.
   • This encourages clam spat to settle out in areas of the flats currently devoid of clam stocks.
   • Major flooding occurred on the Thomson and Avon Rivers, and the Mitchell River flooded many hectares of vegetable crops on the river flats and cut the highway.
   • I set the hook, stuffed the rod high and the fish moved off fast across the flats towards the deep water.
   • Many surface flows, supplied mainly from leaks in the ocean entry tubes, are also observed in the coastal flats near the ocean.
   • The workers had begun to remove the supports about her hull in order to free the cradle that held her and begin dragging her onto the tide flats.
   • They were scattered over a mile area and unreachable because of water channels in the flats.
   • Every degree of added warmth only whets the fishes' appetites and draws them nearer to the flats.
   • Groupers, jacks and barracuda seek refuge in the wrecks, while large marble rays cruise the sandy flats.
   • It's used to patrol for trespassers, set up live firing targets and recover rounds from the sand and tidal flats.
2. 1.2North American A shallow container in which seedlings are grown and sold.
   〈北美〉浅箱，浅苗床
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Seven grams of fertilizer were applied once every two weeks to each flat and all seedlings were maintained in the greenhouse.
   • A flat or large pot is filled with soil and the seed sprinkled thickly over the top.
   • Most plants can be set slightly deeper than they were growing in the germination flat.
   • The soil was watered daily and the flats monitored weekly for germinated seeds until 1 June 1993.
   • For the purpose of companion planting, it's easiest to use flats of marigolds and plant them at the same time or soon after you plant your tomatoes.
   • I finally reached the conclusion that the easiest way to get broccoli and cabbage seedlings started was to grow them in a small flat.
   • A reference to it in an English gardening magazine aroused my interest, and in the summer I sowed a packet of seeds in a flat.
   • A few weeks later, Gavin returned with a flat of castor bean seedlings.
   • I bought a full flat of tomatoes and half a flat of peppers.
   • To maintain moisture, slip the whole flat or pot into a clear plastic bag after the initial watering.
3. 1.3 A shoe with a very low heel or no heel.
   〈主美〉低跟鞋；平跟鞋
   she wore a white strapless dress and a pair of electric blue flats

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Another closet staple for last year and this year still, are flats.
   • For years, the ballerina flat was the shoe of choice to wear with cropped pants.
   • Try a ballerina flat, or an open mule with a smartly shaped heel.
   • A moccasin is the must-have shoe in a stylish high-heel or casual flat.
   • Flats are great with a mini skirt or dress but when it comes to heels, the higher the better!
   • I simply adore these polka dot flats and platforms.
   • There's nothing quite like a pretty pair of flats to top off any casual outfit.
   • In the end, I settled for this pair of flats (in cream & black) from Top Shop.
4. 1.4 A railway wagon with a flat floor and no sides or roof; a flatcar.
   平板列车；敞车；平台货车

2often flatsAn upright section of stage scenery mounted on a movable frame.

3North American informal A flat tyre.

4British Flat racing.

5A musical note lowered a semitone below natural pitch.

1. 5.1 The sign ♭, indicating a flat.
   降半音的音符

1usually as adjective flattedNorth American Music
Lower (a note) by a semitone.

强调降半音C调和G调的“蓝调”和声。

2archaic Make flat; flatten.

把烤肉块放平整。

A set of rooms forming an individual residence, typically on one floor and within a larger building containing a number of such residences.

一幢公寓楼。

no object, with adverbial of place Live in or share a flat.

我姐姐佐伊住在奥克兰的一套公寓里。