conflate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has conflatedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have conflatedperfect
-
has been conflatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
is conflatingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
are conflatingprogressive
-
conflatingparticiple
-
conflatessingular 3rd person
-
am conflatingprogressive 1st person singular
-
have been conflatingperfect progressive
Past
-
had conflatedperfect
-
was conflatingprogressive singular
-
had been conflatingperfect progressive
-
conflatedsimple
-
conflatedparticiple
-
were conflatingprogressive plural
Future
Etymology
Origin of conflate
First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin conflātus “fused together,” past participle of conflāre “to fuse together,” from con- con- + flāre “to blow” ( see also blow 2)
Explanation
Conflate is a more formal way to say "mix together," and it's typically used for texts or ideas. You probably wouldn't say you conflated the ingredients for a cake, but if you blended two different stories together to make a new one, conflate would work. The verb conflate comes to us from the Latin word conflare, which literally means "to blow together." So think of using this word when you want to talk about two things getting thrown together and combined. Things that have been conflated often seem mixed up or confused. In fact, this word is also now sometimes used to mean "confuse or mix up."
Vocabulary lists containing conflate
Power Prefix: con-
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Four Power Prefixes: anti-, con-, inter-, and uni-.
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Thursday, the pope released a statement against military leaders who conflate war with divinity.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
It’s easy to conflate this with laziness or thoughtlessness.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 30, 2026
He added that by declining tickets, the Israeli club "have been more responsible than those that have sought to conflate this matter".
From BBC • Oct. 21, 2025
It used cleverly parsed terms—“premium payments” rather than “premiums”—to conflate total premiums with enrollees’ out-of-pocket payments.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 20, 2025
It has become awkwardly combined with VI into a conflate narrative, as is shown by the silence about the fox in LA.
From The Latin & Irish Lives of Ciaran Translations Of Christian Literature. Series V. Lives Of The Celtic Saints by MacAlister, R.A. Stewart
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
