flatten

[flat-n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flatten ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to make flat.

to knock down: The boxer flattened his opponent in the second round.

verb (used without object)

to become flat.

Verb Phrases

flatten in, Nautical. flat¹(def 61).

flatten out, Aeronautics. to fly into a horizontal position, as after a dive.

Nearby words

Origin of flatten

First recorded in 1620–30; flat¹ + -en¹

SYNONYMS FOR flatten

2. ground, fell, prostrate, deck, floor.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flatten ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsflat·ten·er, nouno·ver·flat·ten, verb (used with object)un·flat·tened, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for flatten

He uses a spatula to flatten the onions and the meat together, creating a broad circular patty with an uneven edge.
The Most American Pit Stop in the U.S.A.|Jane & Michael Stern|July 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They are specifically designed to ‘flatten out and mushroom’ when striking human tissue, and are intended to cause maximum damage.
Blacking Out the Oscar Pistorius Media Circus|Kelly Berold|March 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In a way, the print emphasizes the pelt-like nature of all images, as they flatten out the world and hand it over to us.
Live Bear Is World's Biggest Paintbrush|Blake Gopnik|September 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And, when Fajr-5s began making them run for cover they did not began shouting to "flatten all of Gaza."
"The Bubble" Bursting|Orly Halpern|November 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Recessions tend to flatten income differentials, but this Great Recession is having the opposite effect.
Two Midsummer Fears|David Frum|July 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The tiles will flatten more or less for the first day or two on the shelves, after which they are rolled.
Farm drainage|Henry Flagg French
If wanted of a chop-shape, when flat, shape with the hands and strike again to flatten them.
Hand-Book of Practical Cookery for Ladies and Professional Cooks|Pierre Blot
Now, about a foot back from the end, flatten off a place for the trap and set the trap on the pole.
Science of Trapping|Elmer Harry Kreps
Systematically, the men began to flatten all of the grass with their paddles and oars.
Guilt of the Brass Thieves|Mildred A. Wirt
Flatten it by striking with broad blade of knife or a cleaver.
The Century Cook Book|Mary Ronald

British Dictionary definitions for flatten

flatten

verb

(sometimes foll by out) to make or become flat or flatter

(tr) informal

to knock down or injure; prostrate
to crush or subduefailure will flatten his self-esteem

(tr) music to lower the pitch of (a note) by one chromatic semitoneUsual US word: flat

(intr foll by out) to manoeuvre an aircraft into horizontal flight, esp after a dive

Derived Formsflattener, 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

Word Origin and History for flatten

flatten

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

flatten

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Verb Phrases

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of flatten

Examples from the Web for flatten

flatten

verb

flatten