flatiron

American  

[flat-ahy-ern] / ˈflætˌaɪ ərn /

Or flat iron

noun

1. an iron for pressing clothes or fabric, especially an old-fashioned, nonelectric one that is typically made of cast iron and heated on a woodstove.

   I kept an old, heavy flatiron from my great-grandmother’s house as a memento.

2. Usually flat iron an electric device for straightening or styling hair by pulling it between two flat, heated surfaces.

   It takes me forever to straighten my hair with a flat iron.

3. Usually flat iron steak a cut of beef taken from the chuck, or front shoulder.

   This grilled flat iron steak is marinated in a garlic and herb sauce.

   The prix fixe menu combines three cuts—hanger, ribeye, and flat iron—with a variety of Korean accompaniments.

4. a building that is triangular in shape (usually used attributively).

   The flatiron building downtown was built in 1892.

5. Geology. (especially in the Western United States) a long, triangular, crested ridge that resembles an iron resting on its base.

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verb (used with object)

1. Usually flat iron to style (hair) with a flat iron.

   I went from blow-drying and flat ironing my hair every day to just drying it naturally.

flatiron British  

/ ˈflætˌaɪən /

noun

1. (formerly) an iron for pressing clothes that was heated by being placed on a stove, etc

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Etymology

Origin of flatiron

First recorded in 1735–45; flat ¹ + iron

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flatiron

Park Chalet in San Francisco offers Atlantic salmon and a $16 flatiron steak that diners say is “prepared exactly like the adult portion.”

From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026

Favorites included the cooked-to-order Angus flatiron steak and mashed potatoes, breakfast potatoes and chicken Caesar salad.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025

Seattle, having just erected a more utilitarian flatiron city hall in 1909, might well have expressed envy.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 4, 2022

Instead of New York strip or rib eye, she chooses cheaper cuts, like skirt and flatiron steak, which she has learned to tenderize through brining and braising.

From New York Times ● Jun. 28, 2022

I looked and saw Sarah standing at the bathroom door, her flatiron for her hair in her hand, and her mouth wide open.

From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen

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