as in dying
to stop living
the patient was fading fast, and doctors expected him to flatline before the night was over
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flatlining
The rest are flatlining or folding entirely.
—
Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Despite a global pandemic flatlining the music industry, Hynes contributed to albums by Lorde and Turnstile, crafted film scores for Passing and Master Gardener, and just last year penned some original music for the Broadway play Job.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Despite a global pandemic flatlining the music industry, Hynes contributed to albums by Lorde and Turnstile, crafted film scores for Passing and Master Gardener, and just last year penned some original music for the Broadway play Job.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flatlining
Verb
-
Singing this material with players who improvise — solos changing, every version being a little different — taught me about that urgent live-ensemble space where everyone’s living and dying by the next player onstage.—
Shirley Halperin,
Rolling Stone,
5 Nov. 2025
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Shaw-naé explains how then-mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is dying to speak with her, how the Venmo CEO invited her to some fancy app meeting, all while Al Roker is buzzing on her phone to give an update on Friday’s upcoming dinner service.—
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady,
Billboard,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Yet in practice, America is now collecting billions from importers, much of it falling on carbon-intensive goods and places.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flatlining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flatlining. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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