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Glite Dictionary
to become flat

to become flat

5.4
Lose their bubbles and taste less fresh
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : desgasificar
  • Letting the champagne sit for too long will cause it to become flat and lose its sparkle.

Examples

  • The prose becomes flat, predictable, and rehearsed.

    Academic text (2017)

  • After a few hours, the soda began to become flat and lost its fizz.

  • If you leave the beer open too long, it will become flat and taste stale.

Synonyms

to die
vsto become flat
  • Specialized
15 9.6

To lose its bubbles and taste flat

is the phrase describing that change rather than a single verb
still
vsto become flat
2 3.2

Not fizzy and without bubbles

focuses on loss of sparkle and taste rather than only lacking bubbles

Antonyms

to freshen
70 2.7

Make something or yourself smell and feel clean

Surface Forms

become flat infinitive
became flat past
become flat past participle
becoming flat present participle
becomes flat third person singular

Morphology

become + flat

The meaning 'to lose sparkle/effervescence' is directly built from 'become' (change into) plus 'flat' (lacking liveliness or fizz), so a learner who knows both words can infer a drink has lost its sparkle. This compositional pattern is common (e.g. 'go flat') and parallels constructions in other languages, making it readily understandable at B1.

Etymology

The phrase become flat comes from the picture of a fizzy drink losing its bubbles: the liquid's surface turns smooth and flat. So the drink 'loses its sparkle' and tastes stale or lifeless.