flatten

verb

flat·​ten ˈfla-tᵊn 

flattened; flattening ˈflat-niŋ 

ˈfla-tə-

transitive verb

: to make flat: such as

a

: to make level or smooth

b

: to knock down

also : to defeat decisively

c

: to make dull or uninspired

—often used with out

d

: to make lusterless

flatten paint

e

: to stabilize especially at a lower level

intransitive verb

: to become flat or flatter: such as

a

: to become dull or spiritless

b

: to extend in or into a flat position or form

c

: to become uniform or stabilized often at a new lower level

—usually used with out

flattener

ˈflat-nər 

ˈfla-tə-

noun

Synonyms

• even
• level
• plane
• smooth
• smoothen

Examples of flatten in a Sentence

Dozens of houses were flattened by the tornado.

The boxer was flattened in the seventh round.

The team got flattened in the first round of the play-offs.

Prices are expected to flatten after the holiday shopping season.

Recent Examples on the Web

The city’s Art Nouveau and Brutalist grandeur has been repeatedly battered, flattened, and obscured by war and occupation. —Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 1 Nov. 2024

Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten it into a 4-in disk. —Kathryn Gregory, The Courier-Journal, 31 Oct. 2024

The Israeli offensive has killed more than 42,000 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry there, displaced most of its people and flattened large swathes of the enclave. —Isaac Yee, CNN, 23 Oct. 2024

One strike flattened a nine-story building in Beirut that housed one branch. —Sarah El Deeb and Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

flatten

verb

flat·​ten ˈflat-ᵊn 

flattened; flattening ˈflat-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

: to make or become flat