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Synonyms

fall flat

Idioms  

  1. Fail, prove to be ineffective, as in His jokes nearly always fell flat—no one ever laughed at them. [First half of 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Pilgrim, St. 11 Beauty stands In the admiration only of weak minds Led captive; cease to admire, and all her plumes Fall flat and shrink into a trivial toy, At every sudden slighting quite abash'd.

From Handy Dictionary of Poetical Quotations by Various

Make me—ahem, where was I?—oh, yes—make me, In a sudden, overwhelming gust of soul-shattering rebellion, Fall flat on my face!

From The Book of Humorous Verse by Wells, Carolyn

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.