1
as in to smooth
to make free from breaks, curves, or bumps
flattened out the wrinkled paper before attempting to trace the pattern
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to bury
to defeat by a large margin
if you don't understand the rules, you're going to get flattened when you try to play
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of flatten
Entire rows of homes appear completely flattened in a stark contrast to satellite imagery from April, captured in an Airbus photo provided by Google Earth, which shows the same neighborhood intact before the tornado struck.
—
Joe Edwards
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025
Chuck’s Dairy Bar, Rolling Fork, MS An EF4 tornado flattened Chuck’s in March 2023, but owner Tracy Harden didn’t stop.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 18 May 2025
With the stick end of the mascara wand, press down on the brow hairs to flatten them.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 20 May 2025
The impact of A Pale View of Hills is blunted by a tendency to over-explain and flatten.
—Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for flatten
Joe Edwards
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025
Chuck’s Dairy Bar, Rolling Fork, MS An EF4 tornado flattened Chuck’s in March 2023, but owner Tracy Harden didn’t stop.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 18 May 2025
With the stick end of the mascara wand, press down on the brow hairs to flatten them.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 20 May 2025
The impact of A Pale View of Hills is blunted by a tendency to over-explain and flatten.
—Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for flatten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flatten
Verb
-
Who doesn’t love a pair of leggings that sucks you in and smoothes your midsection?—
Elizabeth Mitchell Kadar,
Glamour,
2 June 2025
-
The team was accused of stuffing and smoothing the seams of the rear attenuator, a part that is standard for all teams and therefore cannot be modified.—
Eduard Cauich,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2025
Verb
-
The authority said its preliminary assessment is that three excavators and six trucks were buried by the landslide.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
-
Residents struggled on Thursday to absorb the scale of devastation caused by a huge slab of glacier that buried most of their picturesque Swiss village, in what scientists suspect is a dramatic example of climate change’s impact on the Alps.—
Dave Graham,
Christian Science Monitor,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
Skubal overcame a Tommy John procedure in college and a flexor tendon surgery earlier in his big-league career to become one of baseball’s elite pitchers.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
-
The odds remain against them — only 16.1% of teams have overcome a 3-2 deficit in NBA playoff history — but the Knicks are coming off their best all-around performance of the series.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
30 May 2025
Verb
-
Its steering is tight and precise, and throwing its 1,800kg mass around bends is heaps of fun thanks to its grippy tyres.—
Matthew MacConnell,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
-
The Justice Department is also throwing its support behind a pending lawsuit alleging similar violations of girls’ rights in the Riverside Unified School District, said U.S. Atty.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
The Clippers were playing in Houston and the Clippers were whipping the Rockets’ ass.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
29 May 2025
-
This small kitchen appliance has a variable speed trigger switch to make blending, pureeing, frothing, whipping and chopping as easy as pressing a button.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
None of it happens if Torre doesn’t bomb the LSAT his senior year of college.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
-
When the Japanese military bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Toguri was trapped with no identification to secure a passage home.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2025
Verb
-
The military's job is to dominate any foe and annihilate any threat to America anywhere, any time and any place.—
/ CBS News,
CBS News,
25 May 2025
-
Joel, wanting to save Ellie's life, then annihilated everyone at the Fireflies hospital who stood in his way.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
25 May 2025
Verb
-
When Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed — killing six construction workers and sending thousands of tons of concrete and steel hurtling into the Patapsco River — Carver feared that the foundation’s nearby oyster reef would be smothered beneath the sediment and debris.—
Christine Condon,
Baltimore Sun,
24 May 2025
-
As a sickly boy raised by two women, young Darin was smothered with affection.—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flatten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flatten. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share