as in to die
to stop living
the patient was fading fast, and doctors expected him to flatline before the night was over
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Recent Examples of flatline
The scoring punch has flatlined.
—
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
Unlike those of many other developed countries, its emissions are expected to flatline instead of decline.
—Justin Worland, Time, 18 Dec. 2025
Because of high home prices, historically elevated mortgage rates and other higher housing costs, including property taxes and homeowner insurance premiums, Gen Z and millennial homeownership rates flatlined last year.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
The episode ends with Monty flatlining in the hospital as Cami and their daughters cry for him.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flatline
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
Unlike those of many other developed countries, its emissions are expected to flatline instead of decline.
—Justin Worland, Time, 18 Dec. 2025
Because of high home prices, historically elevated mortgage rates and other higher housing costs, including property taxes and homeowner insurance premiums, Gen Z and millennial homeownership rates flatlined last year.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
The episode ends with Monty flatlining in the hospital as Cami and their daughters cry for him.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flatline
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flatline
Verb
-
The International Organization for Migration, a United Nations agency, estimates at least 2,185 people died or went missing in the Mediterranean in 2025.—
LEFTERIS PITARAKIS,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Under Raisi, Iranian security forces cracked down on demonstrations sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in the custody of Iran’s morality police after being arrested for allegedly violating the country’s mandatory hijab laws.—
Abbas Al Lawati,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Unlike Israel, Palestinian cities have no warning sirens or bomb shelters, despite the risk of falling debris or errant missiles.—
CLAUDIA CIOBANU,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
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Even if some kilns had continued producing ceramics, the Yuan Dynasty fell in 1368 and the first Ming emperor banned commercial trade around 1371, so even conservative estimates for dating the shipwreck still fall between the late 1320s and 1371, according to the study.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flatline.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flatline. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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