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flatten

[flat-n] /ˈflæt n/
verb (used with object)
1.
to make flat.
2.
to knock down:
The boxer flattened his opponent in the second round.
verb (used without object)
3.
to become flat.
Verb phrases
4.
flatten in, Nautical. flat1 (def 61).
5.
flatten out, Aeronautics. to fly into a horizontal position, as after a dive.
Origin of flatten
1620-1630
First recorded in 1620-30; flat1 + -en1
Related forms
flattener, noun
overflatten, verb (used with object)
unflattened, adjective
Synonyms
2. ground, fell, prostrate, deck, floor.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.
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British Dictionary definitions for flattener

flatten

/ˈflætən/
verb
1.
(sometimes foll by out) to make or become flat or flatter
2.
(transitive) (informal)
  1. to knock down or injure; prostrate
  2. to crush or subdue: failure will flatten his self-esteem
3.
(transitive) (music) to lower the pitch of (a note) by one chromatic semitone Usual US word flat
4.
(intransitive) foll by out. to manoeuvre an aircraft into horizontal flight, esp after a dive
Derived Forms
flattener, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word Origin and History for flattener

flatten

v.

late 14c., "to prostrate oneself," also "to fall flat," from flat (adj.) + -en (1). Meaning "to make flat" is 1620s. Related: Flattened; flattening.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang definitions & phrases for flattener

flattener

noun

A blow that knocks one down and unconscious; knockout punch (1920s+ Prizefight)

The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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0
14
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