flatten Definition
- 1to make something flat or flatter
- 2to knock someone down
- 3to make something less extreme or less strong
Using flatten: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "flatten" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
I need to flatten this dough before baking.
Example
The boxer was flattened by his opponent's punch.
Example
The curve in the graph was flattened by the new data.
Example
The company is trying to flatten the hierarchy and empower employees.
Example
The hurricane flattened the entire town.
flatten Synonyms and Antonyms
Phrases with flatten
Example
The road flattened out after the steep hill.
to slow the spread of a contagious disease so that the number of cases does not exceed the capacity of the healthcare system
Example
Social distancing measures were implemented to flatten the curve of COVID-19 infections.
Example
The team managed to flatten out their opponents in the second half of the game.
Summary: flatten in Brief
To 'flatten' [ˈflætn] means to make something flat, knock someone down, or make something less extreme. It can refer to physical actions like flattening dough or metaphorical ones like flattening a hierarchy. The phrase 'flatten the curve' refers to slowing the spread of a contagious disease. 'Flatten' has synonyms like 'level' and 'compress,' and informal terms like 'smoosh' and 'squish.'