flatten

[ flat-n ]

/ ˈflæt n /

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See synonyms for: flatten / flattened 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR flatten

2 ground, fell, prostrate, deck, floor.

See synonyms for flatten on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of flatten

First recorded in 1620–30; flat¹ + -en¹

OTHER WORDS FROM flatten

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

Words nearby flatten

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

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-Science
The 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 Post
In 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 Online
Turn 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 Post

We 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.
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
But I allow they'd flatten us all aout in jest abaout a minnit, if they wuz to set aout tew!
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
To do this it is necessary to slightly flatten all the fifths and sharpen the major thirds.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller
And then young Weedham tried a necktie tackle that was supposed to flatten Black Hood to the floor.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
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. Steele
Opposition 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

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 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

flatten

OTHER WORDS FOR flatten

Origin of flatten

OTHER WORDS FROM flatten

Words nearby flatten

Words related to flatten

How to use flatten in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for flatten

Derived forms of flatten