Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Flatter \Flat"ter\, v. i.
   To use flattery or insincere praise.

         If it may stand him more in stead to lie, Say and
         unsay, feign, flatter, or adjure.        --Milton.

Flatter \Flat"ter\, n.
   1. One who, or that which, makes flat or flattens.

   2. (Metal Working)
      (a) A flat-faced fulling hammer.
      (b) A drawplate with a narrow, rectangular orifice, for
          drawing flat strips, as watch springs, etc.

Flatter \Flat"ter\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Flattered}; p. pr. &
   vb. n. {Flattering}.] [OE. flateren, cf. OD. flatteren; akin
   to G. flattern to flutter, Icel. fla?ra to fawn, flatter: cf.
   F. flatter. Cf. {Flitter}, {Flutter}, {Flattery}.]
   1. To treat with praise or blandishments; to gratify or
      attempt to gratify the self-love or vanity of, esp. by
      artful and interested commendation or attentions; to
      blandish; to cajole; to wheedle.

            When I tell him he hates flatterers, He says he
            does, being then most flattered.      --Shak.

            A man that flattereth his neighbor, spreadeth a net
            for his feet.                         --Prov. xxix.
                                                  5.

            Others he flattered by asking their advice.
                                                  --Prescott.

   2. To raise hopes in; to encourage or favorable, but
      sometimes unfounded or deceitful, representations.

   3. To portray too favorably; to give a too favorable idea of;
      as, his portrait flatters him.

Flat \Flat\, a. [Compar. {Flatter}; superl. {Flattest}.] [Akin
   to Icel. flatr, Sw. flat, Dan. flad, OHG. flaz, and AS. flet
   floor, G. fl["o]tz stratum, layer.]
   1. Having an even and horizontal surface, or nearly so,
      without prominences or depressions; level without
      inclination; plane.

            Though sun and moon Were in the flat sea sunk.
                                                  --Milton.

   2. Lying at full length, or spread out, upon the ground;
      level with the ground or earth; prostrate; as, to lie flat
      on the ground; hence, fallen; laid low; ruined; destroyed.

            What ruins kingdoms, and lays cities flat! --Milton.

            I feel . . . my hopes all flat.       --Milton.

   3. (Fine Arts) Wanting relief; destitute of variety; without
      points of prominence and striking interest.

            A large part of the work is, to me, very flat.
                                                  --Coleridge.

   4. Tasteless; stale; vapid; insipid; dead; as, fruit or drink
      flat to the taste.

   5. Unanimated; dull; uninteresting; without point or spirit;
      monotonous; as, a flat speech or composition.

            How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable Seem to me
            all the uses of this world.           --Shak.

   6. Lacking liveliness of commercial exchange and dealings;
      depressed; dull; as, the market is flat.

   7. Clear; unmistakable; peremptory; absolute; positive;
      downright.

            Flat burglary as ever was committed.  --Shak.

            A great tobacco taker too, -- that's flat.
                                                  --Marston.

   8. (Mus.)
      (a) Below the true pitch; hence, as applied to intervals,
          minor, or lower by a half step; as, a flat seventh; A
          flat.
      (b) Not sharp or shrill; not acute; as, a flat sound.

   9. (Phonetics) Sonant; vocal; -- applied to any one of the
      sonant or vocal consonants, as distinguished from a
      nonsonant (or sharp) consonant.

   {Flat arch}. (Arch.) See under {Arch}, n., 2. (b).

   {Flat cap}, cap paper, not folded. See under {Paper}.

   {Flat chasing}, in fine art metal working, a mode of
      ornamenting silverware, etc., producing figures by dots
      and lines made with a punching tool. --Knight.

   {Flat chisel}, a sculptor's chisel for smoothing.

   {Flat file}, a file wider than its thickness, and of
      rectangular section. See {File}.

   {Flat nail}, a small, sharp-pointed, wrought nail, with a
      flat, thin head, larger than a tack. --Knight.

   {Flat paper}, paper which has not been folded.

   {Flat rail}, a railroad rail consisting of a simple flat bar
      spiked to a longitudinal sleeper.

   {Flat rods} (Mining), horizontal or inclined connecting rods,
      for transmitting motion to pump rods at a distance.
      --Raymond.

   {Flat rope}, a rope made by plaiting instead of twisting;
      gasket; sennit.

   Note: Some flat hoisting ropes, as for mining shafts, are
         made by sewing together a number of ropes, making a
         wide, flat band. --Knight.

   {Flat space}. (Geom.) See {Euclidian space}.

   {Flat stitch}, the process of wood engraving. [Obs.] -- {Flat
   tint} (Painting), a coat of water color of one uniform shade.
      

   {To fall flat} (Fig.), to produce no effect; to fail in the
      intended effect; as, his speech fell flat.

            Of all who fell by saber or by shot, Not one fell
            half so flat as Walter Scott.         --Lord
                                                  Erskine.

Source : WordNet®

flat
     adj 1: having a horizontal surface in which no part is higher or
            lower than another; "a flat desk"; "acres of level
            farmland"; "a plane surface" [syn: {level}, {plane}]
     2: having no depth or thickness
     3: not modified or restricted by reservations; "a categorical
        denial"; "a flat refusal" [syn: {categoric}, {categorical},
         {unconditional}]
     4: stretched out and lying at full length along the ground;
        "found himself lying flat on the floor" [syn: {prostrate}]
     5: lacking contrast or shading between tones [ant: {contrasty}]
     6: lowered in pitch by one chromatic semitone; "B flat" [ant: {natural},
         {sharp}]
     7: flattened laterally along the whole length (e.g., certain
        leafstalks or flatfishes) [syn: {compressed}]
     8: lacking taste or flavor or tang; "a bland diet"; "insipid
        hospital food"; "flavorless supermarket tomatoes"; "vapid
        beer"; "vapid tea" [syn: {bland}, {flavorless}, {flavourless},
         {insipid}, {savorless}, {savourless}, {vapid}]
     9: lacking stimulating characteristics; uninteresting; "a bland
        little drama"; "a flat joke" [syn: {bland}]
     10: having lost effervescence; "flat beer"; "a flat cola"
     11: not increasing as the amount taxed increases [syn: {fixed}]
     12: not made with leavening; "most flat breads are made from
         unleavened dough" [syn: {unraised}]
     13: parallel to the ground; "a flat roof"
     14: without pleats [syn: {unpleated}]
     15: lacking the expected range or depth; not designed to give an
         illusion or depth; "a film with two-dimensional
         characters"; "a flat two-dimensional painting" [syn: {two-dimensional}]
     16: (of a tire) completely or partially deflated
     17: not reflecting light; not glossy; "flat wall paint"; "a
         photograph with a matte finish" [syn: {mat}, {matt}, {matte},
          {matted}]
     18: lacking variety in shading; "a flat unshaded painting"
     [also: {flatting}, {flatted}, {flattest}, {flatter}]

flat
     adv 1: at full length; "he fell flat on his face"
     2: with flat sails; "sail flat against the wind"
     3: below the proper pitch; "she sang flat last night"
     4: against a flat surface; "he lay flat on his back"
     5: in a forthright manner; candidly or frankly; "he didn't
        answer directly"; "told me straight out"; "came out flat
        for less work and more pay" [syn: {directly}, {straight}]
        [ant: {indirectly}]
     6: wholly or completely; "He is flat broke"
     [also: {flatting}, {flatted}, {flattest}, {flatter}]

flat
     n 1: a level tract of land
     2: a shallow box in which seedlings are started
     3: a musical notation indicating one half step lower than the
        note named
     4: freight car without permanent sides or roof [syn: {flatcar},
         {flatbed}]
     5: a deflated pneumatic tire [syn: {flat tire}]
     6: scenery consisting of a wooden frame covered with painted
        canvas; part of a stage setting
     7: a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house
        [syn: {apartment}]
     [also: {flatting}, {flatted}, {flattest}, {flatter}]

flatter
     v : praise somewhat dishonestly [syn: {blandish}] [ant: {disparage}]

flatter
     See {flat}