flatline
verb /ˈflætlaɪn/
/ˈflætlaɪn/
(informal)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they flatline | /ˈflætlaɪn/ /ˈflætlaɪn/ |
| he / she / it flatlines | /ˈflætlaɪnz/ /ˈflætlaɪnz/ |
| past simple flatlined | /ˈflætlaɪnd/ /ˈflætlaɪnd/ |
| past participle flatlined | /ˈflætlaɪnd/ /ˈflætlaɪnd/ |
| -ing form flatlining | /ˈflætlaɪnɪŋ/ /ˈflætlaɪnɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] to be at a low level and fail to improve or increase
- He said the party had been ‘flatlining’—failing to increase its level of support—for eight years.
- [intransitive] to die; to become clinically dead even if you later recover
- I flatlined twice and was on life support for several days.
Word Origin1980s: from flat ‘level’ + line (with reference to the continuous straight line displayed on a heart monitor, indicating death).