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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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
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His goal to seal the win against Italy — a lung-busting run and cultured finish in the dying moments — helped to illustrate the impressive engine at the heart of Cremaschi’s game.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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Before dying under the weight of the boulder, the spell caster cursed the princess, her family, and the city.—
Sophie Friedman,
AFAR Media,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This just makes the upcoming six-game homestand critical for the Wild in not falling too far behind in the Western Conference.—
Joe Smith,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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After the Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the first time since December 2024 last month, experts projected that rates would continue falling—even if ever so slightly.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flatlining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flatlining. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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