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

Example Sentences

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

The single dad to two daughters spends up to $80 on gas and propane per outing to fuel the SUV and portable flatiron grill upon which he fries roti flatbread with meat, veggies and curries.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 31, 2022

There’s also a luscious beef stew featuring sliced flatiron steak, its sauce made haunting with star anise and woodsy black trumpet mushrooms.

From Washington Post • Jul. 8, 2021

Aunt Rachel set down her heavy flatiron and regarded her niece seriously.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare