flatten
to make flat.
to knock down: The boxer flattened his opponent in the second round.
to become flat.
flatten in, Nautical. flat1 (def. 61).
flatten out, Aeronautics. to fly into a horizontal position, as after a dive.
Origin of flatten
1Other words for flatten
Other words from flatten
- flat·ten·er, noun
- o·ver·flat·ten, verb (used with object)
- un·flat·tened, adjective
Words Nearby flatten
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use flatten in a sentence
Unlike many fish alive today, Tiktaalik had a flattened skull and elongated snout that would have made traditional suction feeding difficult.
This ancient fish-crocodile mashup snared its prey using a key adaptation | Kate Baggaley | February 3, 2021 | Popular-ScienceThe idea is to slow it until enough of the population has been vaccinated, he said, comparing it with early efforts to “flatten the curve” to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed.
U.S. response to coronavirus variants emphasizes masks and vaccines instead of lockdowns | Fenit Nirappil, Brittany Shammas | February 2, 2021 | Washington PostIn data from powerlifting competitions, for example, progress also seems to flatten out after about a year, even though the powerlifters are presumably following far more sophisticated and rigorous periodized training plans.
The Data Behind a Once-a-Week Strength Routine | Alex Hutchinson | February 2, 2021 | Outside OnlineTurn the chicken over and place it cut side down and, pressing firmly with your hands on the skin side, flatten the chicken.
Aromatic roasted chicken with homemade adobo is an updated take on a classic meal | Christian Vazquez | January 15, 2021 | Washington PostWe shouldn’t flatten every kind of villainy into a kind of broad evil that’s easy to dismiss.
Can Captain America serve two dramatically different versions of America? | Aja Romano | January 12, 2021 | Vox
He uses a spatula to flatten the onions and the meat together, creating a broad circular patty with an uneven edge.
They are specifically designed to ‘flatten out and mushroom’ when striking human tissue, and are intended to cause maximum damage.
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.
And, when Fajr-5s began making them run for cover they did not began shouting to "flatten all of Gaza."
Recessions tend to flatten income differentials, but this Great Recession is having the opposite effect.
But I allow they'd flatten us all aout in jest abaout a minnit, if they wuz to set aout tew!
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonTo do this it is necessary to slightly flatten all the fifths and sharpen the major thirds.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing MillerAnd then young Weedham tried a necktie tackle that was supposed to flatten Black Hood to the floor.
The strange thing about this Titanic machine is that it can crack an egg, or flatten out a ton or more of glowing iron.
Steam Steel and Electricity | James W. SteeleOpposition may dissolve, antagonistic cults flatten out to a common culture, almost imperceptibly.
The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind | Herbert George Wells
British Dictionary definitions for flatten
/ (ˈflætən) /
(sometimes foll by out) to make or become flat or flatter
(tr) informal
to knock down or injure; prostrate
to crush or subdue: failure will flatten his self-esteem
(tr) music to lower the pitch of (a note) by one chromatic semitone: Usual US word: flat
(intr foll by out) to manoeuvre an aircraft into horizontal flight, esp after a dive
Derived forms of flatten
- 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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