budget flat

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "budget flat" is correct and can be used in written English.
You can use it to refer to a flat or apartment that is priced more affordably than other options. For example, "We found a budget flat in the city, so we decided to move there."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

14 human-written examples

Holding the budget flat now — even for six weeks — is already seriously jeopardizing the count.

The New York Times

In June, House Republicans approved a plan to keep the S.E.C.'s budget flat, despite its expanded authority under Dodd-Frank.

The New York Times

The Trump administration's draft budget last month called for cutting the Coast Guard's funding by 14percentt, or about $1.3 billion, but the White House has since said it would keep the service's budget flat compared with the previous year.

The Washington Post

Lawrenceville has decided to keep its financial aid budget flat for now, and that means "somewhat fewer newcomers receive aid next year," the school's chief financial officer, Wesley R. Brooks, said.

The New York Times

Even if the government sticks to an earlier promise to increase equipment spending by 1% from next year and hold the rest of the budget flat in real terms, Britain would still spend only about 1.75% of its GDP on defence by 2019, compared with 2.6% in 2010.This matters.

The Economist

Which would be embarrassing at the best of times, but with public-spending cuts looming and NASA's budget flat for the foreseeable future, it is causing real strains.In July, irritated by the JWST's rising costs, the House of Representatives tried to cut $1.9 billion from NASA's budget for next year, in an attempt to have the project cancelled.

The Economist

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

46 human-written examples

Moreover, the Estonian economy has been cited as one of the most liberal in Europe; it has a balanced national budget, flat-rate income tax, and very few customs tariffs.

Encyclopedia Britannica

With the Berlin Wall gone, the Soviet Union dissolved — and the Pentagon budget flat-lining — the Defense Department was no longer willing, as Mr. Augustine later recounted, "to pay the ballooning overhead" of all those contractors.

The New York Times

With help from such measures and from the slowdown in overall inflation, some of the biggest employers, including General Motors, have kept their enormous health care budgets flat or close to it over the last few years.

The New York Times

In budgets, "flat is the new good," quips Eric Isaacs, director of Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois.

Science Magazine

DOE R&D: The bill calls for funding most Office of Science programs at 2016 levels that match those proposed by the Obama administration and then keeping budgets flat in 2017.

Science Magazine

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When discussing financial planning or reporting, use "budget flat" to clearly indicate that there are no anticipated increases or decreases in spending. This term avoids ambiguity, especially in scenarios where other financial metrics might fluctuate.

Common error

Avoid using "budget flat" when you mean "budget deficit." "Budget flat" means there's no change in the budget, while a "budget deficit" indicates that spending exceeds income, and are completely different concepts.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "budget flat" functions as an adjectival phrase, modifying a noun (e.g., budget, funding) to indicate its state of being unchanged. Ludwig AI confirms that it is a proper English phrase.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

30%

Academia

15%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

5%

Formal & Business

5%

Reference

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "budget flat" is a concise and grammatically correct way to describe a situation where a budget remains unchanged. Ludwig examples show it is frequently used in news, science, and academic contexts to convey financial stability or a lack of increased spending. Although Ludwig confirms it is a correct and usable English phrase, synonyms like "budget at the same level" or "stable budget" might be preferred in more formal settings. Remember that "budget flat" differs significantly from "budget deficit", which describes a shortfall in funds. Using "budget flat" effectively helps in clear and unambiguous communication about financial matters.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

budget with no increase

Directly states the absence of any rise in the budget.

budget at the same level

More verbose, but clarifies the budget remains without increase or decrease.

budget maintained

Highlights that the budget has been kept at its current level.

budget held steady

Uses a more dynamic verb to suggest the budget was actively kept at the same level.

unchanged budget

Highlights the lack of alteration in the budget amount.

budget remaining constant

Similar to 'constant budget' but emphasizes the continuation of this state.

constant budget

Emphasizes the unchanging nature of the budget over a period.

stable budget

Focuses on stability rather than the absence of increase.

budget frozen

Suggests a more forceful halt to any budgetary changes.

level funding

Specifically refers to the funding aspect of a budget, emphasizing its constant state.

FAQs

How can I use "budget flat" in a sentence?

You can use "budget flat" to indicate there will be no increases or decreases to a budget, for instance: "The Trump administration has said it would keep the service's "budget flat" compared with the previous year".

What's a more formal alternative to "budget flat"?

In formal contexts, consider using phrases like "budget at the same level" or "stable budget" to convey the same meaning as "budget flat" with a more professional tone.

Is it grammatically correct to say "budget flat"?

Yes, "budget flat" is grammatically correct. It is used as an adjective phrase to describe the state of a budget that remains unchanged.

What does it mean when a budget is described as "flat"?

Describing a budget as "flat" means that it remains at the same level without any increases or decreases. This can be significant during periods of economic growth or inflation, as the real value of the budget may decrease.