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
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
Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
The Suns’ deadline wasn’t as destructive, but elements of it were flat-out hilarious.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
Chaz Frazier, Health, 8 Feb. 2025
Lete went for the high-value case and used her physicality to attempt to flat out win power.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 22 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flat-out
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
The study found that states with lower median household incomes are feeling the hit more than states that had flat-out higher price increases.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
The Suns’ deadline wasn’t as destructive, but elements of it were flat-out hilarious.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
Adverb
There were even instances where healthcare providers only had a vague awareness of the disease or flat out didn't know anything about HS.
—Chaz Frazier, Health, 8 Feb. 2025
Lete went for the high-value case and used her physicality to attempt to flat out win power.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 22 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flat-out
Articles Related to flat-out
Cite this Entry
“Flat-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flat-out. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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