flatten

[flat-n]

verb (used with object)

1. to make flat.

2. to knock down.

   The boxer flattened his opponent in the second round.

   Synonyms: floor, deck, prostrate, fell, ground

verb (used without object)

1. to become flat.

verb phrase

1. flatten out,  to fly into a horizontal position, as after a dive.

2. flatten in,  flat.

flatten

/ ˈflætən /

verb

1. (sometimes foll by out) to make or become flat or flatter

2. informal,  (tr)

   1. to knock down or injure; prostrate

   2. to crush or subdue

      failure will flatten his self-esteem

3. Usual US word: flat. (tr) music to lower the pitch of (a note) by one chromatic semitone

4. to manoeuvre an aircraft into horizontal flight, esp after a dive

Other Word Forms

• flattener noun
• overflatten verb (used with object)
• unflattened adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of flatten¹

First recorded in 1620–30; flat ¹ + -en ¹

Example Sentences

These assist in humanizing figures other TV formats tend to flatten.

From Salon

The bandmates dressed in secondhand suits that made them look posh to some and, perhaps more damningly, refused to flatten their class identity into something easily legible.

From Los Angeles Times

A lot of damage also comes from landslides caused by earthquakes, which can flatten houses in mountain villages and block rivers, causing flooding.

From BBC

But that also affirms her as a real person as opposed to a flattened personality, one who is inoffensive, a little twee and unbothered about being an amateur with A-list chefs on speed dial.

From Salon

At the same time that flippability has flattened American home design, the algorithm has smoothed out the tastes of Americans across class lines.

From Salon

Related Words

• crush 
• raze 
• smash 
• straighten