Meaning & use

flatten

verb·Everyday

To make something flat or level, or to knock something down completely.

See it in a sentence

The workers used a heavy roller to flatten the newly laid asphalt road.

The powerful storm flattened several old trees along the quiet coastline.

A note on using this word

Can be literal, as in flattening dough, or figurative, as in 'flatten the curve,' meaning to slow a rate of increase.

Words with a similar meaning

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