flatten

Everyday

1. To make something flat or flatter by pressing or rolling it. tree →
2. To knock down or destroy something completely: «The storm flattened the trees». tree →
3. To become flat: «The hills flatten out near the sea». tree →

In the lessons

In cooking and crafts you flatten dough or clay with a rolling pin. In science and geography: wind or floods flatten crops and buildings; land flattens out into plains. In maths graphs: a line «flattens out» when it stops rising. Phrases: «flatten out», «flatten the dough», «flatten a box».

Examples

• Flatten the dough with a rolling pin. tree →
• We flattened the cardboard boxes for recycling. tree →
• The storm flattened the farmer's wheat. tree →
• The road flattens out after the big hill. tree →
• She flattened the crumpled paper with her hand. tree →
• Squash and flatten the plasticine into a pancake. tree →
• The line on the graph flattens out after day five. tree →
• Her head seemed to flatten, and her eyes to look oddly round the corners; her legs and her arms were stuck to her sides, and she gasped wildly for breath. tree →

Note

Double t + -en: flatten, flattened. Comes from «flat» + «-en» (like «short → shorten»). Do not confuse with «flatter» (to praise too much) or «flatter» (more flat).