bloat

American  

[bloht] / bloʊt /

verb (used with object)

1. to expand or distend, as with air, water, etc.; cause to swell.

   Overeating bloated their bellies.

   Synonyms:

   balloon, enlarge, inflate, swell

2. to puff up; make vain or conceited.

   The promotion has bloated his ego to an alarming degree.

3. to cure (fishes) as bloaters.

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verb (used without object)

1. to become swollen; be puffed out or dilated.

   The carcass started to bloat.

noun

1. Also called hoven.  Veterinary Pathology. (in cattle, sheep, and horses) a distention of the rumen or paunch or of the large colon by gases of fermentation, caused by eating ravenously of green forage, especially legumes.

2. a person or thing that is bloated.

3. bloater.

bloat British  

/ bləʊt /

verb

1. to swell or cause to swell, as with a liquid, air, or wind

2. to become or cause to be puffed up, as with conceit

3. (tr) to cure (fish, esp herring) by half-drying in smoke

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noun

1. vet science an abnormal distention of the abdomen in cattle, sheep, etc, caused by accumulation of gas in the stomach

Etymology

Origin of bloat

First recorded in 1250–1300; earlier bloat (adjective) “soft, puffy,” Middle English blout, from Old Norse blautr “wet, soft”

Explanation

Both as a noun and a verb, bloat refers to being swollen, puffed up, or overfilled. You can bloat something by filling it up to the point where it swells. You use bloat to make the point that something is more than just fat or large — it's too puffed up or swollen and seems like it might burst. Most often you'll see bloat used to describe things that are filled up with liquid or gas — as in that feeling you get after eating too much. But you might also see the meaning extended to include things like budgets, egos, and expensive shoe collections. Anytime someone has way too much of something, you might see bloat used to describe the situation.

Example Sentences

But 14 days before this entry, when Sedaris is back in Chicago, Bloat has begun to seep into the narrative:

From New York Times • May 29, 2017

The Bloat stage can be avoided only if it’s acknowledged, winked at and muscled through.

From New York Times • May 29, 2017

No one escapes Bloat, but many survive it.

From New York Times • May 29, 2017

So it’s encouraging to read 25 years of David Sedaris’s diaries, and not just because he manages to defeat Bloat.

From New York Times • May 29, 2017

Here we found two men at work with a "long tom"—a Mr. Fernay and a Mr. Bloat.

From Death Valley in '49 by Manly, William Lewis

Related Words

• inflate
• swell