Dictionary

flatten en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈflæ.tən/
• [flæ.ʔn̩]
• [ˈflæ.tn̩]

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *flataz Old Norse flatrbor. Middle English flat English flat English -en English flatten From flat + -en.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To make something flat or flatter.
   • Mary would flatten the dough before rolling it into pretzels.
   • Attempting to block the police van's path, protesters periodically surrounded the vehicle and eventually flattened one of its tires. 1989 April 15, Michael Ambrosino, “Acting Up In The Northwest”, in Gay Community News, page 16:
   • As there was a lot of damage, we chose the heavy roller to flatten the pitch.
2. (reflexive) To press one's body tightly against a surface, such as a wall or floor, especially in order to avoid being seen or harmed.
   • With a bolt of fright he remembered that there was no bathroom in the Hob-house Room. He leapt along the corridor in a panic, stopping by the long-case clock at the end where he flattened himself against the wall. 1994, Stephen Fry, chapter 2, in The Hippopotamus:
3. (transitive) To knock down or lay low.
   • The prize fighter quickly flattened his challenger.
4. (intransitive) To become flat or flatter; to plateau.
   • Prices have flattened out.
5. (intransitive) To be knocked down or laid low.
6. To lower by a semitone.
7. To make vapid or insipid; to render stale.
8. (transitive) To reduce (a data structure) to one that has fewer dimensions, e.g. a 2×2 array into a list of four elements.
9. (transitive) To combine (separate layers) into a single image.

Forms

Deriveds

flattenability · flatten out · flatten the curve · flattened rice · overflatten · flattenable · flattener · flatten down · unflatten

Translations (106)

nl aandrukken (to knock down or lay low) · fi tasoittaa (to make something flat) · fi lyödä maahan (to knock down or lay low) · fi mennä matalaksi (to press one's body tightly against a surface) · hu kinyúlik (to become flat) · fi tasoittua (to become flat) · pt espalmar (to make something flat) · io presegar (to make something flat) · it atterrare (to knock down or lay low) · mi tāpapa (to make something flat) · gl achairar (to make something flat) · fi väljähdyttää (to make vapid or insipid; to render stale) · de planieren (to make something flat) · ca aplanar (to make something flat) · fi tasaantua (to become flat) · da jævne (to make something flat) · hu kilapít (to make something flat) · bg просвам (to knock down or lay low) · hu nyújt (to make something flat) · cs srazit k zemi (to knock down or lay low) · dsb planěrowaś (to make something flat) · ru расплю́щивать (to make something flat) · tr yasmak (to make something flat) · ota دوزلهمك (to make something flat) · fi mennä litteäksi (to press one's body tightly against a surface) · hu lelapul (to become flat) · it appiattire (to make something flat) · de plätten (to make something flat) · ja 統合する (computer graphics: to combine into a single image) · it appiattirsi (to become flat) · bg изглаждам (to make something flat) · fr aplatir (to make something flat) · hu leereszt (to become flat) · mi tāmoe (to make something flat) · ru расплю́щить (to make something flat) · ru плю́щить (to make something flat) · gl achandar (to make something flat) · cs zploštit (to make something flat) · fi litistää (to make something flat) · ca aplanar-se (to become flat) · ru разма́зать (to knock down or lay low) · cs zplacatit se (to become flat) · es enrasar (to make something flat) · ro nivela (to make something flat) · hu szétnyúlik (to become flat) · ru раската́ть (to make something flat) · cs splácnout (to make something flat) · ca planejar (to make something flat) · cmn 壓平 /压平 (to make something flat) · ru разгла́живать (to make something flat) · pl wyrównać się (to become flat) · pl zwalać (to knock down or lay low) · hu lelapít (to make something flat) · pt achatar (to make something flat) · pl spłaszczyć się (to become flat) · cs zploštit se (to become flat) · bg изравнявам (to make something flat) · ka აბრტყელებს (to make something flat) · fi tyrmätä (to knock down or lay low) · lt išlyginti (to make something flat) · cs splácnout se (to become flat) · ro turti (to make something flat) · hu lapul (to become flat) · es aplanarse (to become flat) · ota یاصمق (to make something flat) · hu szétnyújt (to make something flat) · mi papatau (to make something flat) · hu odalapul (to become flat) · ka გააბრტყელებს (to make something flat) · pt derrubar (to knock down or lay low) · es achatar (to make something flat) · cs rozdrtit (to knock down or lay low) · es allanar (to make something flat) · pl położyć (to knock down or lay low) · ru разгла́дить (to make something flat) · cs uzemnit (to knock down or lay low) · pl równać (to make something flat) · es explanar (to make something flat) · nl pletten (to make something flat) · pl zwalić (to knock down or lay low) · pl spłaszczyć (to make something flat) · es achatarse (to become flat) · hu kinyújt (to make something flat) · hu lapít (to make something flat) · arz سطح (to make something flat) · es aplanar (to make something flat) · cmn 夷平 (to make something flat) · hu kilapul (to become flat) · mi takapapa (to make something flat) · ar سَطَّح (to make something flat) · fi lyödä (to knock down or lay low) · nn flata ut (to make something flat) · ro netezi (to make something flat) · izh lutistaa (to make something flat) · mi whakatūpā (to make something flat) · de plattmachen (to knock down or lay low) · pl kłaść (to knock down or lay low) · ru раска́тывать (to make something flat) · pl wyrównać (to make something flat) · arz بطط (to make something flat) · cs zplacatit (to make something flat) · de flachmachen (to make something flat) · cmn 壓扁 /压扁 (to make something flat) · sv platta till (to make something flat) · ro aplatiza (to make something flat) · gl achanzar (to make something flat)