flat·ter¹ (flăt'ər)

v., -tered, -ter·ing, -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. 1. To portray favorably: a photograph that flatters its subject.
   2. To show off becomingly or advantageously.

v.intr.
To practice flattery.

[Middle English flateren, from Old French flater, of Germanic origin.]

flatterer flat'ter·er n.
flatteringly flat'ter·ing·ly adv.

flat·ter² (flăt'ər)
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.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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