1
as in smooths
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 buries
to defeat by a large margin
if you don't understand the rules, you're going to get flattened when you try to play
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flattens
Accessibility Not particularly, although the undulating ground flattens off around Nucciola and Amandula.
—
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
The vacuum’s swivel head flattens against the floor to slide under low-lying furniture.
—Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
The first concept expands the lottery to 18 teams and flattens odds heavily, with the bottom 10 teams each sitting at 8% to land the top pick and the remaining 20% distributed among the next eight teams, plus a drawing for all 18 picks.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2026
Robby’s pivot is, of course, intentional, a way for The Pitt to highlight how burnout flattens committed frontline workers into people who simply can’t do it anymore.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 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
Some people would argue that the basic apparatus of cinema — a camera that then flattens images into two dimensions to be projected on a screen — hasn’t changed much since the Lumière brothers, despite obvious technological advancements.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2026
Instead of feeling like the padding flattens out halfway through the day, these stay soft and supportive mile after mile.
—Olivia Cefalu, InStyle, 9 Mar. 2026
Seasons in the Hindu Kush—Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter,2009–11, has the spectator stand above crushed pots as if surveying terrain from above—the godlike perspective of the Mercator projection, where mountains become miniature and geography flattens into a navigable surface.
—Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
The vacuum’s swivel head flattens against the floor to slide under low-lying furniture.
—Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
The first concept expands the lottery to 18 teams and flattens odds heavily, with the bottom 10 teams each sitting at 8% to land the top pick and the remaining 20% distributed among the next eight teams, plus a drawing for all 18 picks.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2026
Robby’s pivot is, of course, intentional, a way for The Pitt to highlight how burnout flattens committed frontline workers into people who simply can’t do it anymore.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 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
Some people would argue that the basic apparatus of cinema — a camera that then flattens images into two dimensions to be projected on a screen — hasn’t changed much since the Lumière brothers, despite obvious technological advancements.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2026
Instead of feeling like the padding flattens out halfway through the day, these stay soft and supportive mile after mile.
—Olivia Cefalu, InStyle, 9 Mar. 2026
Seasons in the Hindu Kush—Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter,2009–11, has the spectator stand above crushed pots as if surveying terrain from above—the godlike perspective of the Mercator projection, where mountains become miniature and geography flattens into a navigable surface.
—Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flattens
Verb
-
Pro hairstylist Ryan Richman previously described this Briogeo cream as a lightweight, silicone-free heat-protectant cream that minimizes frizz, smooths hair, enhances shine, and protects against heat up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.—
Deanna Pai,
Vogue,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The award can be used in any way that smooths a writer’s life or makes good work possible.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The story switches between the present day and 1990s Camden, at the height of Cool Britannia and begins in the sweltering summer of 1995 as a man buries a body during a violent storm.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
22 Apr. 2026
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The Placer County Water Agency has mapped out $295 million in projects that will upgrade infrastructure, such as rebuilding plants and rehabbing buries pipes, from the foothills to the freeway.—
Nicole Buss,
Sacbee.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
This proprietary approach overcomes challenges of surface treatment and dispersion associated with the material.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Leo consistently overcomes challenges such as low light, rapid movement, and split second moments to produce sharp, compelling images.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Dreams blend and bend time; death annihilates it, and Miller’s play is both.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
-
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
-
Huang throws the first group dinner of the series and, when confronted with both the rumors and the lying, quits on the spot.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
Dubbing herself a spin pitcher who doesn’t focus on velocity, Sheehan still throws hard, usually hitting between 59 and 64 mph.—
Rick Armstrong,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
To better understand the technicals, resistance happens when supply from sellers overwhelms demand from buyers, and the stock struggles to appreciate further; the opposite is true of support, which happens when demand from buyers overwhelms supply from sellers, and the stock tends to move higher.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
27 Apr. 2026
-
At the scale of ⁴²Ar, that interference completely overwhelms the signal, keeping it out of reach.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Once in flowerbeds and vegetable gardens, the plant depletes potassium necessary for plant health and smothers low-growing plants.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The pieces knit together to form a cast iron surface that sheds water, smothers weeds and holds up for a long time.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That said, by design, travel often upsets our routine.—
Donna Vickroy,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Daisy, whose backstory includes, in the first episode, a brief glimpse of Elisabeth Moss’ June, certainly upsets things, most often by reacting to Gilead’s penchant for public atrocities the way a non-sociopath outsider would.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flattens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flattens. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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