flatten

verb

flat·​ten ˈfla-tᵊn How to pronounce flatten (audio)
flattened; flattening ˈflat-niŋ How to pronounce flatten (audio)
ˈfla-tə-

transitive verb

: to make flat: such as
a
: to make level or smooth
b
: to knock down
also : to defeat decisively
c
: to make dull or uninspired
often used with out
d
: to make lusterless
flatten paint
e
: to stabilize especially at a lower level

intransitive verb

: to become flat or flatter: such as
a
: to become dull or spiritless
b
: to extend in or into a flat position or form
c
: to become uniform or stabilized often at a new lower level
usually used with out
flattener
ˈflat-nər How to pronounce flatten (audio)
ˈfla-tə-
noun

Examples of flatten in a Sentence

Dozens of houses were flattened by the tornado. The boxer was flattened in the seventh round. The team got flattened in the first round of the play-offs. Prices are expected to flatten after the holiday shopping season.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The bowl diffuser features aluminum plates that heat up to expedite your dry time, and the comb attachment helps detangle without flattening out your ringlets. Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2025 Large swaths of Gaza have been flattened by Israeli bombardment, and roughly 92% of housing in Gaza has been destroyed or damaged, according to the latest United Nations figures released Thursday. Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025 Live Translation, in aiming to fix all that messiness in an algorithm streamed through Bluetooth earbuds, is not opening human communication up so much as flattening it. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 16 Oct. 2025 Everything is flattened into contrarianism and conspiracy theories, which is an effective way of capitalizing on the public’s rapidly declining trust in traditional journalism. T. M. Brown, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for flatten

Word History

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of flatten was in 1630

Cite this Entry

“Flatten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flatten. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

flatten

verb
flat·​ten ˈflat-ᵊn How to pronounce flatten (audio)
flattened; flattening ˈflat-niŋ How to pronounce flatten (audio)
-ᵊn-iŋ
: to make or become flat

More from Merriam-Webster on flatten

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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