flatten

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

Although long-term agreements from memory companies and a redesign of AI chips to address memory constraints “could flatten the amplitude of the cycle,” Moore said those factors should increase the duration of the memory boom.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 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

“Good work, everyone, I think we’ll flatten Slytherin,” he said bracingly, and the Chasers and Beaters left the changing room looking reasonably happy with themselves.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

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

“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

Over and over again, this documentary makes the point that the screen flattens people’s full humanity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2025

She flattens her hands against the back of the wardrobe and slides open the panel.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

With the sun breaking through and a drying wind, the wicket flattened out and batting seemed to be becoming easier than on day one.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

So I sliced the kielbasa into coins, cut up one red pepper and one medium onion, tucked the whole thing into a reusable freezer bag and flattened it out.

From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026

To build an airport, the Navy flattened a mountain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 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

Mama’s lips flattened out into a thin line that reminded me of Dinah’s.

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce

On June 24, the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes hit Caracas and the coastal state of La Guaira, flattening entire high-rise apartment blocks into layers of rubble.

From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 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

Joe reacted quickly enough—but in flattening himself onto the mound he put a tooth halfway through his tongue.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols