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flatter

[flat-er]

Example Sentences Origin

verb (used with object)

to try to please by complimentary remarks or attention.

to praise or compliment insincerely, effusively, or excessively: She flatters him by constantly praising his books.

to represent favorably; gratify by falsification: The portrait flatters her.

to show to advantage: a hairstyle that flatters the face.

to play upon the vanity or susceptibilities of; cajole, wheedle, or beguile: They flattered him into contributing heavily to the foundation.

EXPAND

to please or gratify by compliments or attentions: I was flattered by their invitation.

to feel satisfaction with (oneself), especially with reference to an accomplishment, act, or occasion: He flattered himself that the dinner had gone well.

to beguile with hope; encourage prematurely, falsely, etc.

COLLAPSE

verb (used without object)

to use flattery.

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Flatter is one of our favorite verbs.

So is yaff. Does it mean:

chat, to converse

to bark; yelp.

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Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English flat(t)eren to float, flutter, fawn upon, Old English floterian to float, flutter; for sense development, compare flicker¹, Old Norse flathra; reinforced by Old French flatter to flatter, literally, to stroke, caress (probably < Frankish *flat- flat¹)

Related forms

flat·ter·a·ble, adjective

flat·ter·er, noun

flat·ter·ing·ly, adverb

half-flat·tered, adjective

half-flat·ter·ing, adjective

EXPAND

half-flat·ter·ing·ly, adverb

un·flat·ter·a·ble, adjective

un·flat·tered, adjective

un·flat·ter·ing, adjective

un·flat·ter·ing·ly, adverb

COLLAPSE

Example Sentences

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.

Most of the population is concentrated in three mountain chains, and much of the flatter area is clothed in jungle.

EXPAND

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.

Most of the population is concentrated in three mountain chains, and much of the flatter area is clothed in jungle.

Pierolapithecus's thorax is similar to that of modern great apes because it is wider and flatter than a monkey ribcage.

Do flatter and compliment your date on the way they look and the things they wear.

The buttons have a flatter look, without shading that made them look round.

Many people would much prefer something that knows how to flatter the panna cotta.

Simple appeals to the better angels of our nature flatter the appealer, but they tend not to change the world all by themselves.

However, both the unemployment and pay figures may flatter to deceive.

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.

He does this with shapes that flatter a woman's body and with colors and patterns that cheer the spirit.

It's nice they flatter you, but you can't live on it.

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.

Cheadle comes across a bit flatter and more humorless.

And that's perfectly appropriate because the computers themselves are getting smaller, cheaper, thinner and flatter.

Flatter prices may encourage homeowners to rein in their spending.

Some had developed flatter bodies to avoid being pulled by the current, for example.

For the downhill, it's crucial that the ski runs freely, especially on flatter sections.

For flatter cookies, pat batter down with back of spoon.

The prime motive is usually to raise money to reduce debts and to flatter profits.

In the flatter areas, elevation doesn't change as much.

If in structures, cheapest are shallow-berm dams on flatter land, then dams in steeper land/ ravines.

Almost any combination of summer fruit will flatter this delicate and satisfying dessert.

It is fairly easy to explain why economic cycles have been flatter since the second world war than before it.

The canopy is now far above our heads, the going more open, flatter.

Everyone knows about flatter organizations and virtual corporations.

Dried vegetables and fruits also add depth to any situation and flatter whatever they are mixed with.

Again, this could be a device to flatter future results.

Not only could falling confidence prick the housing bubble, but flatter house prices would themselves hurt consumer spending.

Consumption taxes are better than income taxes, and flatter rates are better than steeply progressive ones.

He would give taxpayers the option of switching to a simpler, flatter tax code.

Managers and promoters come up and flatter him, cajole him into working for them, but at last he escapes again.

One reason for this acceleration is that company hierarchies are flatter than they used to be.

The flatter the world gets, and the faster communication gets, the more location matters.

It has denied allegations that it tried to flatter its accounts.

If you weighted each state with their population, the curve gets flatter to the point of being insignificant.

His journalists flatter their way into political, cultural and other select intello circles.

But there may be no need for new hotel rooms for some time, and growth is likely to be flatter than in the past.

Its tailored shapes come in a few different lengths and flatter even the skinniest shanks.

They have great pieces that fit and flatter all sizes, and are sophisticated without being staid.

Heterochromatin's low fractal dimension makes it flatter and smoother, with a smaller surface area.

Because it's flatter than its sister islands, one of the best things to do here is.

It would be a nice shade on a shoe, come to think of it, but it didn't flatter a face.

Soon after, this roiling slurry bursts across the flatter lowlands, entombing the unsuspecting animals in its path.

That, especially for a five-country index which you might expect to have flatter loss- and gain.

Their job is not to flatter or mislead or duck the tough calls.

Mathematicians may flatter themselves that they possess new ideas which mere human language is as yet unable to express.

The clothes seemed honestly designed to flatter the wearer and not demand too much of her.

Tuazon's voice is flatter and higher, and the mood of his stream-of-consciousness narrative swings from vulnerable to.

Attractive young women appear out of nowhere, in kitschy costumes that flatter their lean figures and may make you laugh aloud.

The tailors design each suit to flatter the matador's figure.

They may or may not be more intuitive, more people-oriented and better suited to today's flatter hierarchies than men.

Admittedly, this comparison does flatter biotech a bit.

Small, specialized firms are turning out limited edition, tailor-made potions to flatter their clientele's sense of individuality.

He got inside the heads of players, imbued in them the belief that to win ugly is better than to flatter and lose.

COLLAPSE

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

a person or thing that makes something flat.

a flat-faced blacksmith's tool, laid on a forging and struck with a hammer to smooth the surface of the forging.

a drawplate with a flat orifice for drawing flat metal strips, as for watch springs.

Origin:
1705–15; flat¹ + -er¹

adjective

horizontally level: a flat roof.

level, even, or without unevenness of surface, as land or tabletops.

having a surface that is without marked projections or depressions: a broad, flat face.

lying horizontally and at full length, as a person; prostrate: He was flat on the canvas after the knockdown.

lying wholly on or against something: The banner was flat against the wall.

EXPAND

thrown down, laid low, or level with the ground, as fallen trees or buildings.

having a generally level shape or appearance; not deep or thick: a flat plate.

(of the heel of a shoe) low and broad.

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.

(of a tone) lowered a half step in pitch: B flat.

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. (of a sail)

cut with little or no fullness.

trimmed as nearly fore-and-aft as possible, for sailing to windward.

30.

flat a, the a-sound (a) of glad, bat, or act.

COLLAPSE

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.

EXPAND

36.

Music.

(in musical notation) the character ♭, which when attached to a note or to a staff degree lowers its significance one chromatic half step.

a tone one chromatic half step below another: The flat of B is B flat.

(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.

Also called platform. a partial deck between two full decks.

a low, flat barge or lighter.

43.

Shipbuilding.

a broad, flat piece of iron or steel for overlapping and joining two plates at their edges.

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.

COLLAPSE

verb (used with object)

52.

to make flat.

53.

Music. to lower (a pitch), especially one half step.

verb (used without object)

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.

EXPAND

60.

Finance. without interest.

COLLAPSE

Verb phrase

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.

without hesitation; directly or openly: He told us flat out he'd been a double agent.

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

flat·ly, adverb

flat·ness, noun

un·flat·ted, 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.

Link To flatter

Collins

World English Dictionary

flatter¹ (ˈflætə)

—vb
1.	to praise insincerely, esp in order to win favour or reward
2.	to show to advantage: that dress flatters her
3.	(tr) 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.	(tr) to beguile with hope; encourage, esp falsely: this success flattered him into believing himself a champion
6.	(tr) to congratulate or deceive (oneself): I flatter myself that I am the best

[C13: probably from Old French flater to lick, fawn upon, of Frankish origin]

'flatterable¹

—*adj*

'flatterer¹

—n

'flatteringly¹

—*adv*

flatter² (ˈflætə)

—n
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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

flat

1801, from Scot. flat "floor or story of a house," from O.E. flet "a dwelling, floor, ground," from the same source as flat (adj.).

EXPAND

flatter

early 13c., from O.Fr. flater "to flatter," originally "stroke with the hand, caress," from Frank. *flat "palm, flat of the hand" (see flat (adj.)). Related: Flattered; flattering.

COLLAPSE

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Matching Quote

"To flatter and follow others, without being flattered and followed in turn, is but a state of half enjoyment."

-Jane Austen

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