flatten

/'flætn/

Thân thiện

The conductor asked the musicians to flatten the third note in the passage.

Definition

1. Verb (transitive):

   • To make something flat or level: To press, crush, or spread something so that it becomes smooth, even, or level with its surroundings.
   • To knock down completely: To destroy or level a structure or to knock a person or animal to the ground.
   • To defeat decisively; to make less powerful or effective: To overcome an opponent thoroughly or to reduce the impact or force of something.

2. Verb (intransitive):

   • To become flat or level: To lose curvature, elevation, or thickness and become smooth or even.
   • To lose force, vitality, or intensity: To become less lively, sharp, or effective.

Usage Examples

• Verb (transitive):

  • Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough. (To make it level and thin.)
  • The hurricane flattened entire neighborhoods. (To knock down completely.)
  • The boxer was flattened by a single punch. (To knock to the ground.)
  • These exercises can help flatten your stomach. (To make it appear less rounded.)

• Verb (intransitive):

  • The hills gradually flatten as you approach the coast. (To become level.)
  • The tire flattened after hitting a sharp rock. (To become deflated.)
  • The singer's voice flattened on the high note. (To lose pitch or vitality.)

Advanced Usage

• "to flatten out": To become or make something level after a period of ascent, descent, or fluctuation.

  • The road flattens out after this steep hill.
  • The graph shows sales growth flattening out this quarter.

• In music: To lower the pitch of a musical note by a semitone.

  • The composer chose to flatten the third note in the chord.

• In computing/data: To transform a hierarchical or nested data structure into a single-level structure.

  • The programmer wrote a function to flatten the array of arrays.

Variants and Related Words

• Flattened (adjective): Made flat.

  • He looked at the flattened cardboard box.

• Flattener (noun): Something that flattens.

  • A steam iron is a good fabric flattener.

• Flat (adjective/noun): The state of being level, smooth, or even; an apartment (British English).

Synonyms

• Level: To make a surface even.
• Smooth: To make a surface free from irregularities.
• Compress: To press together into less space.
• Demolish: To completely destroy a building.
• Prostrate: To lay flat, often in submission or weakness.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Flatten out: (See "Advanced Usage" above).
• Flatten against: To press oneself or something tightly against a surface.
  • The cat flattened itself against the wall to hide.

Related Idioms

• Flatten the curve: (Epidemiology/Public Health) To slow the spread of a disease to reduce the peak number of cases.

  • Social distancing measures helped flatten the curve of infections.

• Flatten someone's tires: To deliberately deflate the tires of someone's vehicle (often as an act of vandalism).

  • Someone flattened his tires while the car was parked overnight.

Học thuật

Verb

1. lower the pitch of (musical notes)
2. become flat or flatter
   • The landscape flattened
3. make flat or flatter
   • flatten a road
   • flatten your stomach with these exercises

Từ đồng nghĩa

• drop
• flatten out