flatten

verb

ˈfla-tᵊn How to pronounce flatten (audio)
Definition of flattennext
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

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 But the necessity of paring down such a massive event has the effect of flattening the very elements that ought to give it its texture and heft — namely, the people involved. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026 The singer’s fourth album inhabits a balmy medium zone of relentlessly moderate tempos and subdued vocals, where even brief moments of intriguing tension and fuzz get flattened into homogeneity. — Mitch Therieau, Pitchfork, 30 July 2026 Samsung credits a dual-layer structure called Flex Titanium for flattening the display and turning what was once a glaring trench into a subtle seam. — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 29 July 2026 In the summer of 2015, NVS broke below the 40-week moving average, which flattened and eventually became resistance. — Assiatou Hann, CNBC, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for flatten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flatten
  1. smooth
  2. bury
  3. overcome
  4. throw
  5. whip
  6. bomb
  7. annihilate
  8. smother
Verb
  • Every instinct told me to step in, smooth it out, take some of the weight off.
    — Monica Cutia, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Brook actually recommends skipping volumizing sprays—which can make dense hair feel bulky—and instead smoothing a lightweight oil like Biolage All-In-One Multi-Benefit Oil through the lengths for shine and frizz control.
    — Marci Robin, Allure, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of smooth
Verb
  • Burr Oak was the area’s first cemetery to allow blacks to be interred there, and countless African American families would bury relatives there over the years.
    — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026
  • For years, teams have been buried beneath repetitive reporting, administrative work, content revisions and manual research.
    — Niki Hall, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of bury
Verb
  • Prosecutors will have to overcome a few key hurdles in their case.
    — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Four firefighters were killed and a fifth was injured after they were overcome by a fast-moving wildfire in Colorado, near the Utah border, in June.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of overcome
Verb
  • Logan Webb yielded one run on four hits and a walk over eight innings for the Giants, throwing 100 pitches.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Higher gas prices threw Javier Casillas’ lower-income customers for a loop.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of throw
Verb
  • Then, when Gonzalez tried to exit in Exposition Park to avoid further confrontation, Pitts whipped out a knife, prosecutors said.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • In 2017, the object flew into our solar system, whipped around the sun like a comet, and flew back out.
    — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of whip
Verb
  • The government has intensified firefighting efforts across Sumatra and Borneo islands, deploying more than 35 aircraft including water-bombing helicopters and patrol airplanes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Nagasaki, bombed just three days later, receives only a fraction of that attention.
    — James M. Scott, Time, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of bomb
Verb
  • Here, too, a face is lost in another body—though this time the self is annihilated by desire rather than grief.
    — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The matter and antimatter annihilate each other, creating other particles, including bundles of quarks.
    — Matt von Hippel, Quanta Magazine, 29 July 2026
Definition of annihilate
Verb
  • The students were smart, curious and desperate to escape a communist system that had smothered their families’ ambitions for decades.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Soldiers marched the victims to bomb craters at Kamianets-Podilskyi and turned machine guns on them; they were either shot or smothered.
    — USA TODAY, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of smother

Browse Nearby Words

flat taxes
flatten
flattened
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Cite this Entry

“Flatten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flatten. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of flatten for Spanish Speakers

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