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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flatten
From the palace steps, Her Majesty watched with horror as the whirlwind of the helicopter's blades flattened her flowers and left divots on the lawn.
—
Susan Page, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Overall, the goal of the layoffs is to flatten the structure of the unit, and give creative leads more direct control, the source said.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 23 Mar. 2026
Like the space bags of infomercials past, this more aesthetic option flattens almost completely, leaving plenty of room for potential souvenirs.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 23 Mar. 2026
Both grandparents died in the blast – which flattened the house – as well as two uncles, one of whom was in a house across the street.
—Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flatten
Susan Page, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Overall, the goal of the layoffs is to flatten the structure of the unit, and give creative leads more direct control, the source said.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 23 Mar. 2026
Like the space bags of infomercials past, this more aesthetic option flattens almost completely, leaving plenty of room for potential souvenirs.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 23 Mar. 2026
Both grandparents died in the blast – which flattened the house – as well as two uncles, one of whom was in a house across the street.
—Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flatten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flatten
Verb
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Scrape batter into prepared baking sheet and, using a medium offset spatula, gently spread to edges, smoothing surface.—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
1 Apr. 2026
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This collagen cream can help even out dark spots and smooth your skin for a healthy, luminous complexion.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Blinken said the Democratic administrations considered military action but didn’t pursue it because Iran could retaliate and bury its nuclear program deeper underground.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
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Also stolen was a bronze plaque honoring the 18 unmarked graves of African Americans who were also buried there.—
Paul Burton,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Bane overcame a slow start by making six of his first seven attempts at the free-throw line to reach 10 points after two quarters.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2026
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The Leafs overcame a 3-1 deficit with three goals in the third period, including Rielly's snap shot from the high slot that beat Anaheim goalie Ville Husso stick-side to give Toronto a 4-3 lead with three minutes left in regulation.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia fielded the ball and stepped on second base bag before throwing.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
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In a post on X earlier that day, LAPD said protesters along Alameda Street between Aliso and Temple streets had been warned multiple times by federal authorities not to attempt to tear down a gate or throw objects.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For 10 minutes, Boyd took in the scene as the flags whipped above the center-field scoreboard, Cubs infielders took grounders and stadium workers finished final preparations before 39,712 fans streamed into the ballpark.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
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This pizza has soppressata, whipped ricotta and drizzles of hot honey.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One of the sites bombed that day was an Iranian school, leading to at least 175 deaths, most of them children.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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The United States bombed the Isfahan facility along with two other nuclear sites on June 22.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The trap confined 92 antiprotons in a vacuum, as any contact with air would annihilate them.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
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Gautier Hamel de Monchenault, CERN director for research and computing, hailed the feat as remarkable, as antimatter is difficult to preserve and annihilates on contact with matter.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But UConn’s smothering defense forced five turnovers against the junior guard and limited the rest of her team to just 30 points.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
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In the West, a smothering heat dome moved east after almost two weeks of record March temperatures; four spots in Arizona and California hit 112 degrees, and dozens of locations set heat records all the way to Pennsylvania and South Carolina.—
Robert Abitbol,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flatten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flatten. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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