flatline
verb (informal)- [intransitive]
to be at a low level and fail to improve or increase 处于低潮;没有起色 He said the party had been ‘flatlining’—failing to increase its level of support—for eight years. 他说,该党八年来一直表现平平——未能提高支持率。
- [intransitive]
to die; to become clinically dead even if you later recover 死;断气 I flatlined twice and was on life support for several days. 我瘪了两次,靠生命维持了几天。
Word Origin1980s: from flat ‘level’ + line (with reference to the continuous straight line displayed on a heart monitor, indicating death).