INDEX:
1. flat and smooth
2. not sloping or vertical
3. to make something flat
4. to lay something flat on a surface
5. when a road, piece of land etc becomes flat
6. not flat or smooth
7. not level
8. with lots of hills or mountains
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ SQUASH
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1. flat and smooth
▷ flat /flæt/ [adjective]
a place that is flat has no hills or mountains; a surface or object that is flat has no raised or curved parts :
▪ Cambridge is very flat and you can see for miles.
▪ a flat, sandy beach
▪ We sat down on a big flat rock.
▪ Focaccia, an Italian flat bread, has become very popular for sandwiches.
▷ smooth /smuːð/ [adjective]
a smooth surface feels completely flat and has no rough or raised parts, especially in a way that is pleasant and attractive :
▪ The marble table felt smooth and cold against her arm.
▪ She has lovely smooth skin.
smoothness [uncountable noun]
▪ She sanded the edge of the board and rubbed her hand against it to test its smoothness.
▷ even /ˈiːv ə n/ [adjective]
a surface such as a floor or road that is even is completely flat and all its parts are at the same height :
▪ The floor must be completely even before we lay the tiles.
▪ After driving for so long on the gravel I was glad to get on an even stretch of road.
2. not sloping or vertical
▷ flat /flæt/ [adjective/adverb]
▪ In those days the houses all had flat roofs.
▪ We lay flat on our backs and stared up at the sky.
▷ level /ˈlev ə l/ [adjective]
a surface or area that is level does not slope in any direction :
▪ He looked for a strip of level ground where he could land the plane.
▪ These shelves aren’t level.
▷ horizontal /ˌhɒrɪˈzɒntl◂, ˌhɒrəˈzɒntl◂ǁˌhɑːrə̇ˈzɑːntl◂/ [adjective]
a horizontal line, position, or surface is completely straight, flat, and not sloping, and is parallel with the ground or the bottom of something :
▪ The cliff revealed horizontal layers of rock.
horizontal line
▪ The teacher drew a long, horizontal line across the blackboard.
horizontal position
▪ The wine bottles should be kept in a horizontal position.
▷ on its side /ɒn ɪts ˈsaɪd/ [adverb]
something that is on its side has been moved from its usual upright position to a horizontal position :
▪ One of the vehicles in the accident still lay on its side, blocking all four traffic lanes.
▪ Place the chicken on its side in a baking dish and roast for 20 minutes.
▪ A dog was pulling garbage out of a trash can which was lying on its side in the street.
3. to make something flat
▷ flatten /ˈflætn/ [transitive verb]
to make something flat, especially something that is not usually flat :
▪ The wind and rain had flattened the crops.
▪ Roll the dough into a ball and then flatten it with a rolling pin.
▷ level /ˈlev ə l/ [transitive verb]
to make a piece of land flat and stop it sloping in any direction :
▪ It is important to level the land before planting.
level something off/out
▪ The site of the explosion has now been levelled out and is going to be made into a memorial garden.
▷ roll/press/squash etc something flat /ˌrəʊl something ˈflæt/ [verb phrase]
to make something flat by rolling it, pressing it etc :
▪ Roll the pastry flat and cut out two 8-inch circles.
▪ Please squash all aluminum cans flat before placing them in the bin.
▷ smooth /smuːð/ [transitive verb]
to make the surface of something such as paper or cloth completely flat and smooth :
▪ She removed her cap and smoothed her lush black hair.
smooth something down/out
▪ Across the table, Tanya smoothed down her skirt and looked at her watch.
▪ Every morning she smoothes the bedclothes out and dusts the room.
4. to lay something flat on a surface
▷ lay something/somebody flat /ˌleɪ something/somebody ˈflæt/ [verb phrase]
▪ Lay the skirt flat on an ironing board and cover it with a damp cloth.
▪ The fish are laid flat on a board and scraped with the back of a knife to remove the scales.
▪ Realizing the man had a back injury, we laid him flat on the ground and waited for the ambulance to arrive.
▷ lay down /ˌleɪ ˈdaʊn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to carefully put something or someone into a horizontal position :
lay something/somebody down
▪ We carried the injured child over to the bed and laid her down.
lay something/somebody down on/in etc
▪ She folded her scarf and laid it down on the seat next to her.
lay down something/somebody
▪ ‘That thing weighs a ton,’ said Ian, laying down the marble slab on the floor.
5. when a road, piece of land etc becomes flat
▷ flatten/flatten out /ˈflætn, ˌflætn ˈaʊt/ [intransitive verb/intransitive phrasal verb]
▪ The road widens and flattens as it nears the sea.
▪ Towards the top of the hill the ground flattens out and the climb should be easier.
▷ level off/out /ˌlev ə l ˈɒf, ˈaʊt/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to become flat and level, especially after sloping :
▪ Where the path levels out you will find an old cottage.
▪ After climbing steeply through woodland the lane levelled off.
6. not flat or smooth
▷ rough /rʌf/ [adjective]
not flat - use this about roads, walls, areas, land etc where the surface is not smooth because there are a lot of stones or small raised parts :
▪ A rough gravel trail was the only way into town.
▪ rough mountain paths
▪ the rough stone walls of the old castle
▷ bumpy /ˈbʌmpi/ [adjective]
a bumpy road, path, or area of land has a lot of holes and raised parts in it :
▪ The field was too bumpy to play football on.
▪ Neal drove the last mile down the bumpy road towards the highway.
bumpy ride
when you are travelling in a vehicle on an uneven surface
▪ Fasten your seatbelt, this ride may be bumpy.
▷ uneven /ʌnˈiːv ə n/ [adjective]
an uneven surface has areas that are not flat or not all at the same level :
▪ His teeth were yellow and uneven.
▪ The old uneven brick sidewalk was ripped up and replaced.
▷ lumpy /ˈlʌmpi/ [adjective]
a bed or chair that is lumpy has lumps under the surface so that it is uncomfortable to sit on or lie on :
▪ Sandra lay on the lumpy mattress, unable to sleep.
▪ I paid $40 a week for a tiny room with a lumpy couch and a battered old desk.
7. not level
▷ sloping /ˈsləʊpɪŋ/ [adjective only before noun]
something that is sloping is higher at one end than at the other :
▪ an old hotel with lovely sloping lawns
▪ A gently sloping bank led down to the stream.
▷ slope /sləʊp/ [intransitive verb]
if the ground or a surface slopes, it is not level but goes gradually upwards or downwards :
slope downwards/upwards/away/into etc
▪ The garden sloped down gradually towards the sea.
▪ Tilt the board so that it is sloping upwards away from you.
8. with lots of hills or mountains
▷ hilly /ˈhɪli/ [adjective]
an area of land that is hilly has lots of hills :
▪ the hilly farmlands of New Jersey
▪ The vineyards are hilly and difficult to cultivate.
▷ rolling /ˈrəʊlɪŋ/ [adjective only before noun]
rolling hills/fields/farmland etc
with a lot of rounded, not very steep hills and valleys, especially when this looks attractive :
▪ The castle is set in rolling hills to the north of Orvieto.
▪ He stood at the top of the hill, admiring the rolling landscape.
▷ mountainous /ˈmaʊntɪnəs, ˈmaʊntənəs/ [adjective]
an area of land that is mountainous has lots of high mountains :
▪ The mainland of Greece is mountainous and largely infertile.
▪ Fog and rain are common in the mountainous regions near the border.