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
Quick cooking oats are flattened, chopped, par-cooked, and dehydrated.
—
Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 28 Jan. 2026
Taylor’s family claims Partners for HOME and SafeHouse Outreach failed to confirm Taylor’s tent was empty before a front loader flattened it.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 27 Jan. 2026
But McCurdy, who, as a child, starred in Nickelodeon shows alongside Ariana Grande and Miranda Cosgrove, knows well all the ways underage girls can be flattened and plasticized by adults—turned into objects.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
The product enhancements come as P&G reported flattened overall sales.
—Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flatten
Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 28 Jan. 2026
Taylor’s family claims Partners for HOME and SafeHouse Outreach failed to confirm Taylor’s tent was empty before a front loader flattened it.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 27 Jan. 2026
But McCurdy, who, as a child, starred in Nickelodeon shows alongside Ariana Grande and Miranda Cosgrove, knows well all the ways underage girls can be flattened and plasticized by adults—turned into objects.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
The product enhancements come as P&G reported flattened overall sales.
—Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flatten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flatten
Verb
-
The initial collection will consist of a seamless or smoothing nylon bra, a seamless or shaping nylon brief, and a seamless or shaping nylon short.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Solar energy generation paired with four-hour storage can economically and reliably supply about 15% of system energy by smoothing daily ups and downs.—
Alex Pavlak,
Baltimore Sun,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Prior to his arrest, he was interviewed by People Magazine Investigates at the cemetery where his father is buried.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The Gaza Health Ministry currently reports 71,667 deaths, including more than 450 since the October 2025 ceasefire, though Israeli officials said the estimate does not include bodies believed to be buried under rubble.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Environmental justice advocates say that, in the past, vulnerable communities viewed the federal government as an ally to overcome roadblocks with local and state governments to access resources.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Feb. 2026
-
And none have the same late-season baggage to overcome as the Red Wings.—
Max Bultman,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But of all the spaghetti that got thrown at the wall, this is the one that hits for reasons that are totally orthogonal to politics and sort of Washington.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The changes to and cancellation of courses comes months after a viral video of a student confronting an instructor over her lessons threw Texas A&M, one of the largest universities in the country, into upheaval.—
Juan A. Lozano,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Even then, though, leadership didn’t whip against the bill, which ultimately passed with seven Democrats voting in favor.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2026
-
In an age when polarized politics have whipped extremists into a frenzy and disagreeing with someone’s views justifies physical assault among fringe elements, the assault on Omar is a new abysmal milestone of societal degradation.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Iran attacked Al Udeid in June in response to Trump sending American warplanes to bomb Iranian nuclear enrichment sites during the war last year.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Last June, after indirect nuclear negotiations collapsed, the United States joined Israel in a 12-day war with Iran, bombing three of the country’s key nuclear facilities.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As the Universe expands and cools, the cross-section drops, and eventually, dark matter stops annihilating away or interacting with anything else in any appreciable way.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Everything there fell apart and perished, as though the steppe were a field of deadly frequency, annihilating, on a molecular level, any object that happened into it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The way Michigan smothered Michigan State in the first half gave the Spartans a huge hill to climb.—
Austin Meek,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
These smothered pork chops provide big flavor with minimal cleanup.—
Heather Riske,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flatten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flatten. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
