1
: in a blunt and direct manner : openly
called flat out for revolution—
Nat'l Review
Nat'l Review2
: at top speed or peak performance
the car does 180 m.p.h. flat out
3
usually flat-out
: absolutely, downright
—usually used as an intensive
is just flat-out confusing
Synonyms
Adjective
- absolute
- all-out
- arrant
- blank
- blooming [chiefly British]
- bodacious [Southern & Midland]
- categorical
- categoric
- clean
- complete
- consummate
- crashing
- damn
- damned
- dead
- deadly
- definite
- downright
- dreadful
- fair
- flat
- out-and-out
- outright
- perfect
- plumb
- profound
- pure
- rank
- regular
- sheer
- simple
- stark
- stone
- straight-out
- thorough
- thoroughgoing
- total
- unadulterated
- unalloyed
- unconditional
- unmitigated
- unqualified
- utter
- very
Examples of flat-out in a Sentence
Adjective
regarded their son-in-law as a flat-out loser and let him know it
Adverb
I told him flat out that I have no intention of marrying him.
We asked for more time but they refused us flat out.
The car does 180 mph flat out.
Recent Examples on the Web
Paul Tassi, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Dates to remember Knowing where the conspiracy theories are coming from is our best tool for understanding the difference between legitimate voting concerns (of which there are always some) and flat-out Trumpian anti-democratic danger-drivel.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
Erik Sherman, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024
Others have suggested people can skirt taxes via the creation of an S-corp, while some have recommended flat out PPP loan fraud.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flat-out 
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Adjective
First, showrunner Jac Schaeffer did not flat-out deny a season 2 was coming in recent interviews, despite that apparently being the original plan.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Dates to remember Knowing where the conspiracy theories are coming from is our best tool for understanding the difference between legitimate voting concerns (of which there are always some) and flat-out Trumpian anti-democratic danger-drivel.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
Adverb
The October jobs numbers were flat out terrible, with the emphasis on the flat, meaning virtually no change from September.
—Erik Sherman, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024
Others have suggested people can skirt taxes via the creation of an S-corp, while some have recommended flat out PPP loan fraud.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flat-out
Articles Related to flat-out
Dictionary Entries Near flat-out
Cite this Entry
“Flat-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flat-out. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
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