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flatten

[flat-n] / ˈflæt n /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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James C. Scott called this legibility, the way institutions flatten complicated people into categories they can manage.

From Slate Aug. 21, 2026

The researchers found that rift flanks begin to flatten relatively quickly once tectonic movement ends.

From Science Daily Jul. 25, 2026

River can be a good thing, social media algorithms can flatten the context around the waterway, particularly when it comes to demographic changes in nearby neighborhoods.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 13, 2026

Inside, a high-powered laser fires bursts of light to flatten and vaporize tiny drops of molten tin.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 25, 2026

From behind a pillow I tried to flatten myself down into the floor.

From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben

Like VIX, it is not as bullish as it could be: The term structure of the VIX futures rises in the front end of the curve but then flattens out.

From MarketWatch May 8, 2026

But funding a nongambler’s entrance into the gambling world as a kind of comedic protagonist not only puts the writer at risk but also flattens the seriousness of the story’s subject.

From Slate May 5, 2026

Sometimes it flattens the experience into palatable passive consumption.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 26, 2026

“When this ratio flattens, it suggests a potential balancing of labor supply and demand,” Jefferson said, according to a published text of his remarks.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 7, 2026

She groans, flattens her hand against her stomach.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

Water vole volunteers 'get very excited by flattened poo'

From BBC Aug. 14, 2026

If you haven’t been following the controversy, Wilson felt that Nolan had flattened the saga by mostly erasing the Greek gods and Odysseus’ wit, lust and thorny contradictions.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 4, 2026

He pointed to a pile of litter and flattened cardboard boxes on the concrete ground where he said he was sleeping at night.

From Barron's Aug. 1, 2026

We live saturated in opinion, reaction and digital noise, a culture that turns other people into content: flattened, accelerated, easy to dismiss.

From Salon Jul. 30, 2026

He tried to pull at Goose, but she was rooted to the spot, flattened against the dirt, so he lifted her in his arms and ran.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Tuesday's tremor caused widespread damage on the island of Kyushu, flattening homes, damaging bridges, triggering fires and leaving tens of thousands of residents without power and water.

From Barron's Jul. 30, 2026

Markets’ recent pricing of rate hikes is excessive and the recent flattening trend is likely largely over, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 7, 2026

At this stage, the flattening appears to reflect a market that believes policy is not restrictive enough to bring inflation back to target, rather than a market focused primarily on slowing growth.

From MarketWatch Jun. 24, 2026

Critics of the change say this risks flattening meaningful distinctions between religious identities, particularly for service members whose beliefs do not fall neatly into major denominational groupings.

From Salon Jun. 6, 2026

According to Newton’s theory, the centrifugal force of the Earth’s spin should result in a slight flattening at the poles and a bulging at the equator, which would make the planet slightly oblate.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson




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