bloat

[bloht]

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, inflate, swell, 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.

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

/ 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

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bloat¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bloat¹

C17: probably related to Old Norse blautr soaked, Old English blāt pale

Example Sentences

Songs like “No Good Deed” and “March of the Witch Hunters” are chopped up and rearranged to allow for more dialogue and less emoting, distending the film into a bloated heap.

Read more on Salon

But that is partly to do with recent valuation bloat.

Read more on Barron's

Stock futures were sliding Friday on continued concerns about bloated artificial-intelligence valuations following the previous session’s stunning selloff.

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Stock futures were sliding Friday on continued concerns about bloated artificial-intelligence valuations following the previous session’s stunning selloff.

Read more on Barron's

The earnings will be crucial for the broader market: If Nvidia signals continued demand for its artificial-intelligence chips, fears about bloated valuations could ease.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• inflate 
• swell