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
Photos shared on Facebook by the sheriff’s office showed the devastating aftermath, with cars overturned, homes flattened and trees uprooted.
—
Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 30 May 2025
Once it is flattened and cured, one side of the panel is then covered with a wash of black clay.
—Derrick Bryson Taylor, New York Times, 30 May 2025
The technique makes an ephemeral beauty eternal by flattening the daisies, pansies, violets, and wildflowers that color your garden and turning them into enchanting home decor.
—Perri Ormont Blumberg, Architectural Digest, 27 May 2025
Now, after the Florida Panthers flattened the Carolina Hurricanes to win the East, talk will move on to the Stanley Cup Final.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for flatten
Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 30 May 2025
Once it is flattened and cured, one side of the panel is then covered with a wash of black clay.
—Derrick Bryson Taylor, New York Times, 30 May 2025
The technique makes an ephemeral beauty eternal by flattening the daisies, pansies, violets, and wildflowers that color your garden and turning them into enchanting home decor.
—Perri Ormont Blumberg, Architectural Digest, 27 May 2025
Now, after the Florida Panthers flattened the Carolina Hurricanes to win the East, talk will move on to the Stanley Cup Final.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for flatten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flatten
Verb
-
The researchers of the 2022 study also found that people on the receiving end of indirect attacks also end up responding with silence, politeness or attempts to smooth things over.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
15 June 2025
-
The star of the show is its capsule technology, which kicks in right away to smooth things out.—
Deanna Pai,
Glamour,
12 June 2025
Verb
-
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins buried a left circle wrister to cut the Panthers lead to 3-1, 3:33 into the second period.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
13 June 2025
-
Many in Israel see such a confrontation as the best option—even though Iran’s nuclear facilities are spread across its territory, and some are buried deep underground, making any military campaign likely to be drawn-out, complicated, and hazardous.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
12 June 2025
Verb
-
But your brain might still seek patterns to overcome.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
-
Yet soon one is overcome by Charles Laughton’s creepy, convincing portrayal of Captain Bligh’s sadomasochism: most of the first fifteen minutes is taken up with floggings and other shipboard disciplining of half-naked men, shown in detail while Laughton looks on with long-lipped lasciviousness.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Verb
-
He’s compensated by throwing a ton of sliders, with just over a 40% usage rate.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
-
Police said protesters threw fireworks at officers during the standoff and police said stores were looted in the downtown area.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
9 June 2025
Verb
-
The suspect, who sported pink hair and several face piercings, got into the 68-year-old victim’s cab around 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 4, pretending to be a customer, but instead whipped out a knife and demanded the victim’s property, according to cops.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2025
-
For example, defendants in this state are allowed to hire experts to lie and the defense can then whip the public into a frenzy by promoting the lies.—
Wendy Murphy,
Boston Herald,
4 June 2025
Verb
-
Israel also bombed Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility, Natanz.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
-
Several of the Dodgers’ depth starters have bombed out, such as Landon Knack, Bobby Miller and Justin Wrobleski (who was originally scheduled to start Wednesday’s game).—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
11 June 2025
Verb
-
The region has been on edge for the past two years as Israel seeks to annihilate the Hamas group, an Iranian ally, in the Gaza Strip, where war still rages after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.—
Elena Becatoros,
Chicago Tribune,
20 June 2025
-
The universe seems stable, but an unlikely shift in the Higgs field, a quantum field that pervades all of space, could trigger a bubble that passes through the universe, annihilating all matter.—
Andrea Gawrylewski,
Scientific American,
3 June 2025
Verb
-
This speaks to the potential that Iran owes to its heritage, but that has been smothered by a small, inward looking and harsh theocracy, aided and abetted by the Revolutionary Guard who exert de facto control over the Iranian economy as well as other sectors.—
Mike O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
-
Vines like English ivy, wisteria, honeysuckle, and bittersweet can smother trees and shrubs, block sunlight, and spread aggressively if not controlled early.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
14 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flatten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flatten. Accessed 24 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share