as in dies
to stop living
the patient was fading fast, and doctors expected him to flatline before the night was over
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flatlines
Every time the plot hits the reset button, the tension flatlines.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
Fanning flatlines when left to be a solo show as Bertino whacks her around like a pinball, hitting big, loud scares that seem to keep resetting.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025
Once front-line teams stop trusting the data—or can't see how the tools help their day-to-day—the adoption curve flatlines.
—Andy Watts, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
Fanning flatlines when left to be a solo show as Bertino whacks her around like a pinball, hitting big, loud scares that seem to keep resetting.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025
Once front-line teams stop trusting the data—or can't see how the tools help their day-to-day—the adoption curve flatlines.
—Andy Watts, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flatlines
Verb
-
Several seconds later, my character dies on the grass (right alongside the clearly visible script).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and it’s estimated that one person dies from cardiovascular disease every 34 seconds.—
Jacqueline Howard,
CNN Money,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The rules of the game state that, if a head of a household falls, the next person in succession must take their place and fight, or their entire family line will get blown up by Satan.—
Jada Yuan,
Vulture,
14 Mar. 2026
-
By the time the curtain falls, dozens of audience members have become part of the show.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Every soldier Harry would have saved on a transport during the war perishes too.—
Margaret Heidenry,
Vanity Fair,
24 Dec. 2025
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Factory ships deplete fisheries in a matter of years and an inordinate amount of sea life also perishes in their nets.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The 11-year-old titular character in Hamnet, up for Best Picture, succumbs to the plague.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The Shakespearean classic focuses on Macbeth, a Scottish general who makes his prophecy of becoming king a reality but then succumbs to madness.—
Alyson Rodriguez,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flatlines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flatlines. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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