1
as in to smooth
to make free from breaks, curves, or bumps
flattened out the wrinkled paper before attempting to trace the pattern
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flatten
For as much as Anderson’s films call for his actors to flatten their delivery, his first foray into stop-motion animation picked up the pace considerably, and Clooney zips right along with his character’s fast-talking schemes.
—
Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 June 2025
In the past few months, supply costs surged while sales flattened.
—Star Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025
Seeing babies torched so badly their faces are flattened boils the blood.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 11 June 2025
Video recorded at the scene by WSOC shows the lemonade stand was flattened, and the vehicle came to rest in a front yard with damage to its front and back ends.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for flatten
Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 June 2025
In the past few months, supply costs surged while sales flattened.
—Star Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025
Seeing babies torched so badly their faces are flattened boils the blood.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 11 June 2025
Video recorded at the scene by WSOC shows the lemonade stand was flattened, and the vehicle came to rest in a front yard with damage to its front and back ends.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for flatten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flatten
Verb
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According to Richie, her new chop was a result of hair damage from keratin treatments, which uses chemicals to smooth frizzy or curly hair.—
Bella Cacciatore,
Glamour,
27 June 2025
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Offering a civic-minded channel devoted to displaying democracy in action helped smooth the path for the pay TV industry’s expansion.—
Stephen Battaglio,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2025
Verb
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The impact of those bombs is buried under a mountain of rubble in Iran; so anyone who says the bombs were not devastating is just trying to undermine the President and the successful mission.—
Sonam Sheth
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
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So rather than bury them behind clunky steps and legalese, bring them forward with clarity and care.—
Sal Rehmetullah,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
Verb
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The Thunder overcame two Game 7s en route to the title, and they will now forever be called champions.—
Matt Levine,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
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Advertisement Indiana tried its best to overcome heartbreak in Game 7: Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers’ star point guard who was playing with a calf strain in his right leg, suffered an achilles injury in the first quarter.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
23 June 2025
Verb
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Ohtani recorded two strikeouts while throwing 18 pitches, allowing his only baserunner on an error when Mookie Betts dropped a popup in the sun.—
Greg Beacham,
Chicago Tribune,
23 June 2025
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The images also show heaps of dirty towels and linens thrown into a pile, sometimes spotted with blood or a purple residue.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
22 June 2025
Verb
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The San Diego native whipped a low cross into the box, which both Adriana Leon and Ascanio narrowly missed.—
Fernando Ramirez,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 June 2025
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Chelsea took the lead on 13 minutes when Neto raced away from deep inside the Flamengo half and opened his body before whipping the ball past Agustin Rossi.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
Verb
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But those threats were beaten back in the last few years of war, and twice last year, Israel got practice rounds bombing Iran following Iranian missile fire.—
Daniel Estrin,
NPR,
25 June 2025
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But the Israel-Iran conflict − and Trump's decision to bomb three Iranian nuclear sites − has scrambled the high-stakes meeting as world leaders search for an endgame to the 12-day air war that's killed hundreds of people in Iran and dozens in Israel.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
25 June 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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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
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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 3 Jul. 2025.
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