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
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flatten
Instead of flattening the forms, the museum’s lighting scheme accentuates textures, drawing out the etched surfaces, gouges, and contours that make Giacometti’s work so tactile.
—
Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
In 1976: One of the deadliest earthquakes in modern history flattened the Tangshan region of China.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 29 July 2025
The city was flattened during World War II, when some 80,000 Rotterdammers were left homeless after a single night of the German air raids.
—Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 27 July 2025
And that kind of diversification also flattens out the calendar, right?
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for flatten
Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
In 1976: One of the deadliest earthquakes in modern history flattened the Tangshan region of China.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 29 July 2025
The city was flattened during World War II, when some 80,000 Rotterdammers were left homeless after a single night of the German air raids.
—Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 27 July 2025
And that kind of diversification also flattens out the calendar, right?
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for flatten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flatten
Verb
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Card networks and domestic wallet apps have smoothed many edges, yet many of those wallets still use the same traditional systems.—
Alvin Kan,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Therapeutic Botox – used for conditions that include muscle spasticity, migraines, overactive bladders, certain eye conditions and excessive sweating – brought in $3.3 billion for AbbVie last year, with sales of cosmetic Botox, often used to smooth facial wrinkles, generating $2.72 billion.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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You were supposed to bury sentiment, cut the cord and fully inhabit your current, non-customizable uniform right down to your plain black cleats.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
23 Aug. 2025
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The very next possession, fellow punter Ryan Wright cleanly handled a snap and hold, and Reichard buried a 58 yarder.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
23 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Pointing to a legal analysis weighing reasons why the FTC's antitrust claims might not hold up in court, Olson suggested that the FTC is unlikely to overcome constitutional protections and win its ad war on the merits.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
22 Aug. 2025
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If the injury bug becomes too much for the 49ers and/or Rams to overcome — and that's happened before — these two will be right there to take advantage.—
Austin Mock,
New York Times,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The price, which can be tracked even in reputable financial outlets including Forbes, spiked the day after Lopez threw his at the Phoenix Mercury game.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
21 Aug. 2025
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Stanton is getting time there because Aaron Judge is recovering from an elbow injury and there are mixed messages about how much throwing the two-time MVP can do at this point.—
Larry Fleisher,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The game is a gonzo Kojima production through and through, tonally whipping between self-serious conversations about the nature of war and patriotism, and villains who can shoot lighting from their hands or morph into a swarm of bees.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
22 Aug. 2025
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Like many proud dads in the early 2000s, Cooper Manning often whipped out the camcorder to document his three children — May, Arch and Heid — growing up.—
Grace Raynor,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Russia's insistence on a peace agreement rather than a ceasefire appears to be a strategic maneuver designed to prolong hostilities and allow Russia to continue bombing Ukrainian cities.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Aug. 2025
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Its time at Sony wasn’t very fruitful; Biblical comedy The Book of Clarence bombed, as did the action comedy The Machine.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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No longer content to accuse Jews of killing individuals, the world now accuses the Jewish state of attempting to annihilate an entire population.—
Avi Weiss,
New York Daily News,
10 Aug. 2025
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These are all weapons specifically designed to annihilate outsiders trying to get inside the cities, weapons meant to cause the most pain for the amusement of the insiders (think a napalm bomb ornately decorated in the shape of a cone, which liquifies outsiders in seconds).—
Rafael Motamayor,
Vulture,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Colson smothered Fisk just short of the first-down marker after Fisk made the reception.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
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Additional lightning strikes from these types of clouds could set off new blazes or reignite areas crews have already smothered.—
Mary Gilbert,
CNN Money,
1 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flatten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flatten. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.
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