inflatable

American  

[in-flay-tuh-buhl] / ɪnˈfleɪ tə bəl /

adjective

1. capable of being inflated.

2. designed or built to be inflated before use.

---

noun

• inflatables
  plural

1. an inflatable object, device, or structure, especially a small rubber boat that is inflated with air.

inflatable British  

/ ɪnˈfleɪtəbəl /

noun

1. any of various large air-filled objects made of strong plastic or rubber, used for children to play on at fairs, carnivals, etc

---

adjective

1. capable of being inflated

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reinflatable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• inflatables
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of inflatable

First recorded in 1875–80; inflate + -able

---

Explanation

Something inflatable can be blown up or filled with air. A balloon is inflatable — you can either blow it up, or fill it with helium so that it floats. Car tires are inflatable, and so are beach balls, bicycle inner tubes, floating pool toys, bouncy castles, air mattresses, and some lightweight boats. If you're in a car accident, the inflatable air bag will fill quickly to protect you from hitting the dashboard. The adjective inflatable comes from the Latin inflare, "to blow into or puff up."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

inflatable inflatables

City's fans also waved hundreds of inflatable bananas, an old habit when they spent time in the lower leagues in reduced circumstances.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

Winchester Crown Court heard Abdela, who is Eritrean, had also attempted to disguise the fact he had been driving the black inflatable across the Channel when it was approached by immigration officers.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

Called the Middle Ale after the store’s center aisle, where shoppers can pick up improbable bargains like inflatable kayaks or bench grinders, it quickly caught the attention of locals like Mark Rowan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Look one way and there was a Bitcoin-themed art gallery featuring a 6-foot skull made of motherboards; look the other, and there was a massive inflatable monkey wearing an orange crown.

From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026

They managed to detach an inflatable lifeboat before their ship sank, and were crawling into it when the Germans returned.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Elsewhere, locals flocked to the Canal Saint-Martin in the north of the city, some with inflatables, after the authorities allowed swimming there due to the heat.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

Veterans of both the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Deitch’s New York Art Parade, the group will bring helium inflatables, walk-around characters, and mascot costumes — including their signature Little Cloud character.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

When Liverpool came to Brighton last May, the away end was in party mode at the full-time whistle despite the defeat as they sang and celebrated with inflatables and balloons.

From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2026

The DC inflatables were not powerful as symbols the way the Portland frog is; their absurdity did not clash so dramatically against their fellow goofy marchers.

From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2025

Available inflatables included a couple of sharks, a dinosaur or two, at least one cow and a banana, all ready to be pumped up for the cause.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2025

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---