Flatten

/ˈflæ.tən/ · verb

Meaning

(transitive) To make something flat or flatter..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To make something flat or flatter.
2. (reflexive) To press one's body tightly against a surface, such as a wall or floor, especially in order to avoid being seen or harmed.
3. (transitive) To knock down or lay low.
4. (intransitive) To become flat or flatter; to plateau.
5. (intransitive) To be knocked down or laid low.
6. (music) To lower by a semitone.
7. To make vapid or insipid; to render stale.
8. (programming, transitive) To reduce (a data structure) to one that has fewer dimensions, e.g. a 2×2 array into a list of four elements.

Example Sentences

As there was a lot of damage, we chose the heavy roller to flatten the pitch.

Mary would flatten the dough before rolling it into pretzels.

Attempting to block the police van's path, protesters periodically surrounded the vehicle and eventually flattened one of its tires.

With a bolt of fright he remembered that there was no bathroom in the Hob-house Room. He leapt along the corridor in a panic, stopping by the long-case clock at the end where he flattened himself against the wall.

The prize fighter quickly flattened his challenger.

Prices have flattened out.

Synonyms for flatten

Antonyms for flatten

Related Words

Word Forms

• flattens
• flattening
• flattened

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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