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
Neuromodulation is necessary for keeping the brain’s activity level in a functional range, preventing it from either flatlining or erupting in seizures.
—
Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 30 Jan. 2026
The episode ends with Monty flatlining in the hospital as Cami and their daughters cry for him.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Nov. 2025
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
Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 30 Jan. 2026
The episode ends with Monty flatlining in the hospital as Cami and their daughters cry for him.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flatlining
Verb
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Sometimes darkly humorous, sometimes strangely heartbreaking, this immersive storytelling experience is Edgar Allan Poe for the modern age; a heart-to-bleeding-heart with madmen, murderers and monsters all dying to tell their story.—
William Earl,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
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Slovak played on the band’s first three studio albums before dying aged 26 of an accidental heroin overdose in 1988.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Violent crime rates were falling well before the surge, in line with national trends.—
Cleve R. Wootson Jr. The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Swiss stocks show resilience By contrast, UBS said Swiss equities offer less exposure to energy disruptions at an attractive valuation point after falling more than 10% since the start of the conflict.—
Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flatlining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flatlining. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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