flatten

verb

flat·​ten ˈfla-tᵊn How to pronounce flatten (audio)
flattened; flattening ˈflat-niŋ How to pronounce flatten (audio)
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 How to pronounce flatten (audio)
ˈfla-tə-
noun

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
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.
Another air strike flattened a residential building in the Bureij refugee camp, killing at least nine. Ayesha Khan, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025 Techno glitter was applied in a streak which extended upward from the eye’s outer corner, almost reaching the tip of sweat band flattened side bangs (which resembled eyelashes). India Espy-Jones, Essence, 13 Mar. 2025 Wide swaths of pro-Hezbollah areas are all but flattened; almost 100,000 people remain displaced and Israeli forces still occupy parts of Lebanon. Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2025 Writers seem to hate it when their stories are flattened into conversations about representation. Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for flatten

Word History

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of flatten was in 1630

Cite this Entry

“Flatten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flatten. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

flatten

verb
flat·​ten ˈflat-ᵊn How to pronounce flatten (audio)
flattened; flattening ˈflat-niŋ How to pronounce flatten (audio)
-ᵊn-iŋ
: to make or become flat

More from Merriam-Webster on flatten

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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