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

Stockman walked readers through the enormous gap between the casual assumption that there were vast amounts of bloat and free money in the federal budget and the actual reality when you looked at the numbers.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

The new rigor around hiring helps combat corporate bloat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

The New York Times described the job cuts as aimed at addressing "organizational bloat" following aggressive hiring to build up the AI program.

From Barron's • Oct. 23, 2025

Rivian wasn’t the only tech company to announce cuts this week, with Meta laying off 600 employees within its artificial intelligence department on Wednesday in an effort to streamline operations and decrease bloat.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 23, 2025

Horrific as it was, the present dark, I was afraid to leave it for the other, permanent dark—jelly and bloat, the muddy pit.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Related Words

• inflate
• swell