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
Engage your lower abdominal muscles by tucking your pelvis and flattening the curve in your lower back by lowering it to the floor or drawing your belly button to the floor.
—
Mark Gurarie, Verywell Health, 7 Oct. 2025
The bowl diffuser features aluminum plates that heat up to expedite dry time, and the comb attachment helps detangle without flattening out ringlets.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 26 Sep. 2025
Animals configure their faces and bodies in certain postures for practical reasons — for example, unsheathing their teeth before biting, widening their eyes for a panoramic view of danger, flattening their ears to protect them in a fight.
—Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
Getty Images The NWS attributes the spike in temperatures to a high-pressure ridge trapping hot, dry air over the region and flattening the marine layer, allowing heat to reach coastal communities.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
This enhancement stems from band convergence and valence band flattening without compromising the intrinsically low thermal conductivity, as per the study.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2025
Production is still climbing, but the slope of the curve is flattening.
—Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
In a derby that former Manchester United captain Roy Keane bemoaned for the lack of combativeness and local representation, Khusanov played like a kid from Stockport finally getting to live out his dream of flattening everyone in a red jersey.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
And if some of those characters that aren’t the leads are not firing on all cylinders, the film can really start flattening.
—Kevin Cassidy, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Mark Gurarie, Verywell Health, 7 Oct. 2025
The bowl diffuser features aluminum plates that heat up to expedite dry time, and the comb attachment helps detangle without flattening out ringlets.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 26 Sep. 2025
Animals configure their faces and bodies in certain postures for practical reasons — for example, unsheathing their teeth before biting, widening their eyes for a panoramic view of danger, flattening their ears to protect them in a fight.
—Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
Getty Images The NWS attributes the spike in temperatures to a high-pressure ridge trapping hot, dry air over the region and flattening the marine layer, allowing heat to reach coastal communities.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
This enhancement stems from band convergence and valence band flattening without compromising the intrinsically low thermal conductivity, as per the study.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2025
Production is still climbing, but the slope of the curve is flattening.
—Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
In a derby that former Manchester United captain Roy Keane bemoaned for the lack of combativeness and local representation, Khusanov played like a kid from Stockport finally getting to live out his dream of flattening everyone in a red jersey.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
And if some of those characters that aren’t the leads are not firing on all cylinders, the film can really start flattening.
—Kevin Cassidy, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flattening
Verb
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The 312 jeans have a mid-rise waist with a tummy-slimming panel for a smoothing effect.—
Melanie Fincher,
Southern Living,
6 Oct. 2025
-
This silky, fragrance-free formula delivers all the benefits of retinol—like smoothing fine lines, refining texture, and evening skin tone—without a heavy or irritating feel.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The wind was whipping this past week at McGrath Stadium, mist in the air.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Video from Camiguin Island, posted by the Philippines Department of the Interior and Local Government, showed fierce winds and ocean water whipping past houses onto a residential street.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But the first step is to recognize the realities, rather than burying our heads in the sand like some gigantic flock of ostriches.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
2 Oct. 2025
-
What more could possibly be learned about the vicious crimes of the Illinois native who murdered at least 33 young men in the ’70s, burying most of them in a crawl space under his home?—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
For Woodruff, The Green Kitchen was born out of her own healing journey after overcoming the Epstein-Barr virus and heavy metal toxicity through mindful eating and nutrient-dense foods.—
Wyles Daniel,
AZCentral.com,
2 Oct. 2025
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To help engineers manage these thoughts, IEEE Women in Engineering held a webinar on building confidence and overcoming anxiety.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Panthers’ special teams unit went from being the top of the class to bombing a big exam.—
Mike Kaye
September 28,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a Sovereign Nation and close Ally of the United States, that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker Peace, does not advance Israel or America's goals.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Those savings could come from trimming what the government pays insurers to lower patients’ out-of-pocket costs or by reducing Medicare payments to doctors.—
Christopher Robertson,
The Conversation,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Best Christmas Tree Decoration Deals Bring some Christmas spirit to every branch by trimming your tree with these decorations.—
Toni Sutton,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Country music artist Morgan Wallen initially denied throwing a chair off the roof of Nashville bar Chief’s in 2024, according to police video footage obtained by The Associated Press.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
1 Oct. 2025
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In April 2024, Wallen was arrested after throwing a chair off the sixth-story roof of Eric Church’s new bar and honky-tonk, Chief’s, in downtown Nashville.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Oh, and stopping the Soviets from annihilating the world.—
Vulture Editors,
Vulture,
24 Sep. 2025
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As a result, Israel preserved its existence without annihilating vast opposition forces.—
ANDRIY ZAGORODNYUK,
Foreign Affairs,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flattening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flattening. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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