Definition of flatten in US English:

verb

• 1Make or become flat or flatter.

  with object ‘spoon the mixture into the pan, flatten into cakes, and fry until brown’

  no object ‘the ground flattened out and became marshy’

  ‘they were dancing on the flattened grass’

  More example sentences

  • ‘The heavy boots he wore had long ago flattened and grass he walked on, making a perfectly straight path where he had paced for the past few hours.’
  • ‘If your girlfriend has beautiful wavy hair, would you want her to flatten it out by combing it with the wrong brush?’
  • ‘The rain pounded down on her, flattening the wild grasses and weeds around her.’
  • ‘I mutter a sheepish apology and get to my feet, smoothing my shirt and trying to flatten my hair.’
  • ‘If I manage to dodge it, it will still flatten the grass and leave it's mark.’
  • ‘One was suddenly flung away and the grass flattened in a widening circle.’
  • ‘Look at that mutilated cow in the field, and see that flattened grass.’
  • ‘He is not a land artist, he flattens no grass and makes no patterns with twigs or boulders.’
  • ‘Peter combed his dark brown hair, trying to flatten the back and sides, but as usual it remained up turned.’
  • ‘He attempted to flatten the hair without a comb.’
  • ‘She quickly brushed, combed, and flattened her hair.’
  • ‘She scowls and takes out her hairbrush and flattens her hair with quick, angry strokes.’
  • ‘Turn over the cake and flatten slightly, before slashing the top three times with a sharp knife.’
  • ‘Secondly, the mixture is then flattened out in the blending machine, and then it is flattened further in an extruder machine.’
  • ‘The foot and a half tall grass was flattened in their fight.’
  • ‘Laurie folded his feet and sat down, flattening the grass.’
  • ‘And it just straightens her hair, flattens it out perfectly.’
  • ‘As children first introduced to the mysteries of the kitchen, we learn how to blend the batter of a cake or flatten the dough of a pie.’
  • ‘His regular spot was left empty, the grass he would normally flatten sitting upright and proud.’
  • ‘His normally very tidy light brown hair had flattened in some areas and began to stick out in others.’

  Synonyms

  become flat, make flat, become even, make even, become smooth, make smooth, smooth, smooth off, smooth out, level, level off, level out, even out

  compress, press down, crush, squash, compact

  View synonyms

  1. 1.1with object and adverbial of place Press (oneself or one's body) against a surface, typically to get away from something or to let someone pass.
     ‘they flattened themselves on the pavement as a bomb came whistling down’

     More example sentences

     • ‘Claria flattened herself against the wall, peering around a corner.’
     • ‘At once he made for a tree and flattened himself against its bark.’
     • ‘She flattened herself against the treetrunk and waited.’
     • ‘I heard a step of foot steps and flattened myself further up against the wall, looking in front of me to where the person was coming from.’
     • ‘I recoiled, eyes wide open and flattened myself to the bed.’
     • ‘I flattened myself against the wall for dear life, and somehow, somehow, he never noticed me.’
     • ‘He has flattened himself violently against the wall, his knees bent in towards it, body shaking.’
     • ‘A group of children noisily pushed through the crowd, so Jag flattened himself against the wall to keep from getting squashed.’
     • ‘At the sound of a window opening on the second floor, above my head, a little to the right, I backed up and flattened myself against the door.’
     • ‘In fact, Brittany completely flattened herself against the wall.’
     • ‘Nikki shrieked and flattened herself against the wall.’
     • ‘He flattened himself out on the floor and watched me.’
     • ‘In her haste, she almost ran over a ship's lieutenant, who flattened himself against the doorway as she charged past him.’
     • ‘The four of them immediately flattened themselves against the wall.’
     • ‘She nodded at a pretty brunette and flattened herself against the wall.’
     • ‘Panting, he flattened himself against a mold-streaked stone wall, praying it would be just another sentry.’
     • ‘Thinking quickly, he flattened himself up against the wall next to the door, lying in wait.’
     • ‘The five-year old flattened himself against the wall, whimpering.’
     • ‘She winced and flattened herself more against the tree.’
     • ‘Shane flattened himself against the side of the bookshelf backing onto where the guard would approach from and waited.’

• 2with object Raze (a building or settlement) to the ground.

  ‘the hurricane flattened thousands of homes’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Traders were triumphant today after plans to flatten their homes and businesses were refused by council planners.’
  • ‘Hurricanes bring winds and slashing rains that flood streets, flatten homes, and leave survivors struggling to pick up the pieces.’
  • ‘Just 12 minutes after the order, the bombs were dropped from an altitude of 20,000 ft, flattening the building.’
  • ‘Plans to flatten a listed building for a TV show have been branded ridiculous by the grandson of the man who built it.’
  • ‘A boat has managed to get to the south of the island but initial reports are that all the buildings are flattened.’
  • ‘Walls of houses were completely flattened; glass, bricks and debris are everywhere.’
  • ‘Bulldozers could flatten buildings used to care for the elderly and disabled if a site near the town centre is sold off.’
  • ‘These bombs vaporised all living life and flattened all buildings within the epicentre of the explosion.’
  • ‘The storm, which also flattened several power pylons, left much of the Eastern Cape without electricity.’
  • ‘Workmen moved on to the site last week to flatten the building and replace it with 138 flats.’
  • ‘Churches, mosques and school buildings are among the public facilities flattened by the quakes.’
  • ‘But the torrent of brown water, which was already flattening buildings, wiped out the jeep, drowning her grandchildren.’
  • ‘Homes and public buildings were completely flattened.’
  • ‘Thousands of houses were completely flattened, and many others were partially destroyed.’
  • ‘There were no immediate details of casualties on the ground but witnesses said 12 houses were flattened in the disaster.’
  • ‘It ripped off roofs, flattened buildings and threw container lorries great distances.’
  • ‘A business that is hit hard during a recession is not unlike a business whose building is flattened by a tornado.’
  • ‘The army has used its newly acquired firepower to flatten houses and other buildings, destroy coconut plantations and turn the city into a virtual ghost town.’
  • ‘The blast had destroyed the wall of the cemetery and flattened a nearby home.’
  • ‘The resulting explosion flattened the target building and the surrounding infrastructure, crushing the defenders.’

  Synonyms

  demolish, raze, raze to the ground, level, tear down, knock down, destroy, wipe out, topple, wreck, reduce to ruins, devastate, annihilate, pulverize, obliterate, ravage, smash, wipe off the face of the earth, wipe off the map

  View synonyms

  1. 2.1informal Knock someone down with power and vigor.
     ‘once I'm in the ring, I know I can flatten him’

     More example sentences

     • ‘In perhaps the turning point of the game, Steven Boyack flattened Dennis Wyness just inside the area in 18 minutes and Paul Sheerin powered in the penalty.’
     • ‘The guy was very fortunate as the big man could have flattened him.’
     • ‘I woke up cold and he tried to roll his body onto me and share his body heat and the sleeping bag, nearly flattening me in the process.’
     • ‘Kristie landed on him, flattening him against the floor.’
     • ‘So there I was in the paddock when I'm flattened by some idiot running into me on a monkey bike!’
     • ‘The scrum-half must have suspected a conspiracy - on three occasions in the first half he was flattened by opponents.’
     • ‘The next minute, she was flattened by a reversing car, leaving her with broken arms and legs.’
     • ‘Terrified I'd flatten a child, I picked my way between bodies, big and small, and noticed Sainabo cuddled up beside her mother.’
     • ‘You were lucky Brett didn't end up flattening you.’
     • ‘A vision of me stepping on him, wobbling and then falling on him, flattening him like a pancake flashed through my head.’
     • ‘He also mowed over his wife on the same day Maude flattened the child.’
     • ‘Luckily for him the ambulance was not travelling very fast, because he gave the paramedic driving it so little warning time that had it been going any faster it would have certainly flattened Patrick.’
     • ‘When former St Peter's schoolboy, James Dougherty, led a lone break-out he was flattened by an excellent Heppleston tackle.’
     • ‘I considered, with idle horror, how a simple kick of my foot could flatten him beyond repair.’
     • ‘I was about to wish for a rock to fall off the sky and flatten me into a very slow and painful death, when the doorbell rang.’
     • ‘The match exploded after a clash between Iain Hendry and Bromley's Mark Watson, who chased the Leatherhead man and flattened him, earning an instant red card.’
     • ‘He said: ‘The old guy looked in good shape and I'm sure he would have flattened the other guy - if he could have caught him.’’
     • ‘The purpose of modernisation is to flatten the pyramid, to push power downwards and re-enfranchise the rank-and-file.’

     Synonyms

     knock down, knock over, knock to the ground, knock off one's feet, fell, rugby-tackle, topple, prostrate

     View synonyms
  2. 2.2informal Defeat (someone) completely, especially in a sports contest.
     Synonyms

     beat, conquer, win against, win a victory over, triumph over, prevail over, get the better of, best, worst, vanquish

     loss, beating, conquest, conquering, besting, worsting, vanquishing, vanquishment, game, set, and match

     View synonyms

• 3Music
  with object Lower (a note) in pitch by a half step.