Skip to the word

Added 10 October 2026

flattop

noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. More about flattop at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A closely cropped haircut; usually for men or boys.
A large warship that carries planes and has a long flat deck for takeoffs and landings.

Origin

From flat + top. Sense of “aircraft carrier” attributed to the message, “Scratch one flattop,” radioed during the Battle of the Coral Sea by LCDR Robert E. Dixon to the USS Lexington, whose commanding officer credited the pilot with coining the standard USN slang.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word