deflate

[dih-fleyt]

verb (used with object)

deflated, deflating 

1. to release the air or gas from (something inflated, as a balloon).

   They deflated the tires slightly to allow the truck to drive under the overpass.

2. to depress or reduce (a person or a person's ego, hopes, spirits, etc.); puncture; dash.

   Her rebuff thoroughly deflated me.

3. to reduce (currency, prices, etc.) from an inflated condition; to affect with deflation.

verb (used without object)

deflated, deflating 

1. to become deflated.

deflate

/ dɪˈfleɪt /

verb

1. to collapse or cause to collapse through the release of gas

2. (tr) to take away the self-esteem or conceit from

3. economics to cause deflation of (an economy, the money supply, etc)

Other Word Forms

• deflator noun
• self-deflated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of deflate¹

1890–95; < Latin dēflātus blown off, away (past participle of dēflāre ), equivalent to dē- de- + fl ( āre ) to blow + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of deflate¹

C19: from _de- + ( _in ) _flate

Example Sentences

After several failed attempts to deflate it, the officers finally managed to squash it into the back of a patrol car.

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Representing the new guard, Che chimed in that the mother “zipped around the room like a deflated balloon.”

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Some of the better jokes: “The woman zipped around the room like a deflated balloon.”

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That was right before the dot-com bubble began to deflate.

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The jingoistic propaganda haloing “Top Gun: Maverick” puffed up an American ego deflated by the pandemic.

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Related Words

• depress 
• diminish 
• exhaust