inflate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to distend; swell or puff out; dilate.
The king cobra inflates its hood.
- Antonyms:
- deflate
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to cause to expand or distend with air or gas.
to inflate a balloon.
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to puff up with pride, satisfaction, etc.
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to elate.
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Economics. to expand (money, prices, an economy, etc.) unduly in amount, value, or size; affect with inflation.
verb (used without object)
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to become inflated.
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to increase, especially suddenly and substantially.
The $10 subscription has inflated to $25.
verb
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to expand or cause to expand by filling with gas or air
she needed to inflate the tyres
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(tr) to cause to increase excessively; puff up; swell
to inflate one's opinion of oneself
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(tr) to cause inflation of (prices, money, etc)
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(tr) to raise in spirits; elate
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(intr) to undergo economic inflation
Synonym Usage
See expand.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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inflatednessnoun
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inflaternoun
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inflatornoun
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reinflateverb
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overinflateverb (used with object)
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inflatedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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inflatesimple
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inflatessimple
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have inflatedperfect
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has inflatedperfect
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am inflatingprogressive
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are inflatingprogressive
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is inflatingprogressive
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have been inflatingperfect progressive
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has been inflatingperfect progressive
Past
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inflatedsimple
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had inflatedperfect
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was inflatingprogressive
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were inflatingprogressive
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had been inflatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of inflate
First recorded in 1500–20; from Latin inflātus, past participle of inflāre “to blow on or into, puff out,” equivalent to in- in- 2 + flā- blow 2 + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
Using your own breath or an air pump, you can inflate a balloon — or anything else you need to pump air into. When you inflate something you fill it with air (or any other gas) to make it expand. From the Latin verb inflāre, "to blow into," the word inflate appeared in English in the early 16th century. Although we usually think of the word inflate as referring to blowing air or gas into a balloon or a tire, anything that grows larger, from food prices to an egoist's self-image, can be inflated. When an item becomes scarce, its price is likely to be inflated.
Vocabulary lists containing inflate
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.
See Examples For:
The simplest way to escape this debt burden is to do what the U.S. did after 1945, and inflate it away.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Law Group — accusing them of inflating medical bills and forcing clients to undergo needless and expensive surgeries to inflate the value of the claim.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
He admitted that he participated in a scheme to submit false campaign-finance reports and artificially inflate the amount he raised.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
"The primary use case for a humanoid robot today is to walk on stage and artificially inflate your share price," he says.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
However, if there is enough mass—galaxies, galaxy clusters, and unseen dark matter—the initial push given by the big bang wouldn’t be enough to allow the balloon to inflate forever.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
The bottleneck that inflates Nvidia’s margins also inflates the cost of building the infrastructure that generates them.
From MarketWatch ● May 21, 2026
The main problem with “A League of His Own” is Mr. Stein’s willingness to take at face value Spalding’s claims in his 1911 book, “America’s National Game,” which systematically inflates Spalding’s role in events.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
Ticketmaster and Live Nation have repeatedly faced criticism from those who say the firm artificially inflates the cost of tickets with fees and service charges.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
In other words, asking about food decisions piece by piece naturally inflates the total.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 5, 2026
The gases in the rumen get trapped and the rumen inflates like a balloon until it presses against its lungs.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
On top of that, Microsoft must deal with inflated memory prices.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
"Appointments made against a backdrop of social turmoil always come with many pitfalls," said Prytula, adding that Drapaty now faces "inflated expectations".
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
She inflated the value of her businesses and used the money to invest in stocks and shares, as well as clearing credit card debts.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
He said that his role had been inflated into something it was not, and focused largely on the investigation, not on the relationship.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
The yards were dry and overgrown, and lighted reindeer and inflated snow globes from Christmas still littered some of the front lawns.
From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez
Law Group — accusing them of inflating medical bills and forcing clients to undergo needless and expensive surgeries to inflate the value of the claim.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Since 2021, GM has generated about $53 billion in free cash flow, despite Covid, inflating prices, tariffs, and ever-changing EV policies.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Drought and tight cattle supplies are squeezing American beef production and inflating prices in the grocery aisle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Amazon tried tracking AI usage and displaying scores on a companywide leaderboard, but the technique failed because workers started inflating their usage scores, meaning they were likely not being very productive.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026
Immediately, the horned toad jumped out from her side and took a big angry breath, inflating its round tummy.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
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.
