1
as in smoothing
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 whipping
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 flattening
The date was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the Tunguska impact of 1908, when an asteroid exploded over Siberia, flattening millions of trees in an 830 square mile (2,148 sq km) area.
—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
26 June 2026
Apps that lean too heavily on automation risk flattening the experience.
—
Gideon Kimbrell,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2026
Here, starvation is a tool of war, one of the many tactics the militias use before flattening a town.
—
Janine Di Giovanni,
Vanity Fair,
25 June 2026
Wilson’s achievement is to bring these meanings forward without flattening the poem’s strangeness or grandeur.
—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
21 June 2026
Grant asks Chris about the boxing gloves now for sale in the night store, but Katie forestalls him by running over and grabbing them, nearly flattening Chris.
—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
The answer to modern public life is not flattening everything into slogans or reducing politics to content.
—
Marc Adelman,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2026
This can include flattening the hill, raking or shoveling the mound, or even using a garden hose to flood the area.
—
Cori Sears,
The Spruce,
4 June 2026
The Hurricanes went 12-1, flattening opponents by applying the kind of smooth, inevitable pressure that would make a Zamboni driver jealous.
—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
3 June 2026
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
26 June 2026
Apps that lean too heavily on automation risk flattening the experience.
—
Gideon Kimbrell,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2026
Here, starvation is a tool of war, one of the many tactics the militias use before flattening a town.
—
Janine Di Giovanni,
Vanity Fair,
25 June 2026
Wilson’s achievement is to bring these meanings forward without flattening the poem’s strangeness or grandeur.
—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
21 June 2026
Grant asks Chris about the boxing gloves now for sale in the night store, but Katie forestalls him by running over and grabbing them, nearly flattening Chris.
—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
The answer to modern public life is not flattening everything into slogans or reducing politics to content.
—
Marc Adelman,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2026
This can include flattening the hill, raking or shoveling the mound, or even using a garden hose to flood the area.
—
Cori Sears,
The Spruce,
4 June 2026
The Hurricanes went 12-1, flattening opponents by applying the kind of smooth, inevitable pressure that would make a Zamboni driver jealous.
—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
3 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flattening
Verb
-
Its major selling points include the stretchy and soft material, wide straps, side-smoothing panels, and wireless design.
-
It can be used as a concealer, contour, or foundation, has medium coverage, is pore-blurring, texture-smoothing, and imperfection-camouflaging.
Verb
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And a Cut Absolute is whipping around upon seeing the person and walking away.
-
Patrick Evans made it to the top step of the Motocross Best Trick event with his electric bike, whipping out a no-handed front flip to loud cheers from the crowd before climbing back up the ramp to celebrate.
Verb
-
The structure suddenly collapsed, burying the people within.
-
Since then, the city has touted its success in burying most of its wires while keeping rates competitive with other utilities.
Verb
-
Forward-looking firms are overcoming this by deploying advanced technical strategies.
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Normal matter can’t be stuffed into a space tiny and dense enough without overcoming a huge outward pressure.
Verb
-
French officials condemned the damage to the ancient monastery, comparing it to bombing Notre-Dame, while Ukrainian religious leaders called it a crime against humanity.
-
Another bad fix bombing out the moment it was most needed.
Verb
-
This factor was vastly dwarfed by organizational restructuring, budget cuts, and economic conditions, which are all far more standard explanations historically used by corporations to justify trimming jobs.
-
Consider trimming a task list, then schedule a quiet break between meetings to recharge.
Verb
-
The game featured two of baseball's best and hardest-throwing pitchers in Burns and Misiorowski.
-
Players will be hopping, throwing, rolling, shooting and more in a broad test of their reflexes.
Verb
-
The scale of that cost and who will bear them within the supply chain is one of the major uncertainties upsetting those faced with execution.
-
As the 32nd and last seed, the Kaulig Racing driver made an improbably flamboyant run to a runner-up finish while upsetting Hamlin and 2012 champion Brad Keselowski.
Cite this Entry
“Flattening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flattening. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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