flat-out

1 of 2

adjective

ˈflat-ˌau̇t

Synonyms of flat-out next

: being or going at maximum effort or speed

: out-and-out, downright

it was a flat-out lie

flat out

2 of 2

adverb

: in a blunt and direct manner : openly

called flat out for revolution—

Nat'l Review

: at top speed or peak performance

the car does 180 m.p.h. flat out

usually flat-out

ˈflat-ˌau̇t

: absolutely, downright

—usually used as an intensive

is just flat-out confusing

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

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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