flatten

[ flat-n ]

/ ˈflæt 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

flatly, flatmate, flats, flatscreen, flatstick, flatten, flatter, flatter oneself, flattery, flattie, flatties

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 forms

flat·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

/ (ˈflætən) /

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 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