flatten the curve

[ flat-nthuh-kurv ]

/ ˈflæt n ðə ˈkɜrv /

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idiom

(during a disease outbreak) to use public health measures to achieve a more gradual increase and decrease in the number of new cases, spreading the same total number of cases over a longer period of time, as depicted by a gently sloping curved line on a graph: Flattening the curve will prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed with patients.

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Origin of flatten the curve

First recorded in 2005–10

Words nearby flatten the curve

flat spin, flat spot, flatstick, flat tax, flatten, flatten the curve, flatter, flattered, flattering, flatter oneself, flattery

How to use flatten the curve in a sentence

France 24 is providing live, round-the-clock coverage of both scenes as they progress.
LIVE Coverage of the Paris Terror Attacks||January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Sands was involved in a scandalous-for-the-time romance with the carpenter and there were rumors she was pregnant with his child.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Three on-the-record stories from a family: a mother and her daughters who came from Phoenix.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The Dallas Cowboys sell out their state-of-the art football stadium.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The Daily Beast spoke to a jubilant League on Tuesday about the behind-the-scenes battle to get The Interview to movie theaters.
The Inside Story of How Sony’s ‘The Interview’ Finally Made It to Theaters|Marlow Stern|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sleek finds it far harder work than fortune-making; but he pursues his Will-o'-the-Wisp with untiring energy.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
You never know when you are going to stumble upon a jewel in the most out-of-the-way corner.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
Mr. Slocum was not educated in a university, and his life has been in by-paths, and out-of-the-way places.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
He drew her back to him, and she yielded and settled closely in the curve of his arm, and he told her the story.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
I drew back from the rim of Writing-On-the-Stone, that set of whispered phrases echoing in my ears.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair