The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
v. flat·tered, flat·ter·ing, flat·ters v.tr. 1. To compliment excessively and often insincerely, especially in order to win favor. 2. To please or gratify the vanity of: "What really flatters a man is that you think him worth flattering" (George Bernard Shaw). 3. a. To portray favorably: a photograph that flatters its subject. b. To show off becomingly or advantageously. v.intr. To practice flattery. [Middle English flateren, from Old French flater, of Germanic origin; see plat- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] flatter·er n. flatter·ing·ly adv. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
n. 1. A flat-faced swage or hammer used by blacksmiths. 2. A die plate for flattening metal into strips, as in the manufacture of watch springs. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.