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, 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.

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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”

Example Sentences

Delays and bloated budgets are a problem the military has dealt with for years.

From Barron's

Her bloating and weight loss were originally put down to irritable bowel syndrome until she became so ill she ended up in A&E.

From BBC

Its report also said the island's deficit - currently about £100 million - had seen the island's spending bloated beyond what the island's taxpayers could sustain.

From BBC

Consolidation, administrative bloat, high prices and soaring premiums followed.

From The Wall Street Journal

I try to clear any unnecessary apps or media from iPhone or Android settings to avoid backup bloat.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• inflate
• swell