deflate

American  

[dih-flayt] / dɪˈfleɪt /

verb (used with object)

• deflates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• deflated,
  past participle,  past
• deflating
  present participle

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.

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verb (used without object)

• deflates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• deflated,
  past participle,  past
• deflating
  present participle

1. to become deflated.

deflate British  

/ 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)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• deflator
  noun
• self-deflated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• deflating
  present
• deflated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• deflate
  simple
• deflates
  simple
• have deflated
  perfect
• has deflated
  perfect
• am deflating
  progressive
• are deflating
  progressive
• is deflating
  progressive
• have been deflating
  perfect progressive
• has been deflating
  perfect progressive

Past

• deflated
  simple
• had deflated
  perfect
• was deflating
  progressive
• were deflating
  progressive
• had been deflating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will deflate
  simple
• will have deflated
  perfect
• will be deflating
  progressive
• will have been deflating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of deflate

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

Explanation

To deflate is to let the air out of something. If you deflate the tires on your brother's bike, he won't be able to ride it until he gets them pumped up again. You can deflate anything that's full of air or another gas: an air mattress, an inflatable sled, a helium balloon, or the tires on your car. When something, like a hot air balloon, empties of air, you can also say it deflates. Figuratively, a person can also deflate when they are suddenly drained of self-assurance or cheer: "Hearing him criticize me in front of the class made me deflate."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deflate deflates deflated deflating

Wilhelm said the artificial-intelligence build-out is proceeding in a different way from the dot-com boom that began to deflate in 2000.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

According to testimony from the two survivors, their flimsy boat began to deflate and take on water after several hours at sea.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Comedy capers like this usually deflate in the third act when their pleasures get punctured by unfunny gunfire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Sinking an early birdie on the fifth got the crowd going but starting the back half with bogeys on 10 and 12 threatened to deflate the mood.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

Her shoulders dropped and she seemed to deflate right before my eyes.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

If the AI bubble ever deflates, these energy companies with no revenue have the farthest to fall and little in the way of a cushion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025

It deconstructs the artifice of a rock show, making The 1975 seem more human - but equally, it deflates the excitement of watching a band in full flow.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2025

But I think that greatly deflates the more potent message that Jonze was trying to deliver.

From Slate ● Apr. 11, 2025

Domingo didn’t plan how to act that scene, but running smack into the harsh reality of the system, the actor visibly deflates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2025

But when Jonah’s response comes back, everything in me deflates.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Chabria: Hilton, usually full of fight and energy, is looking deflated on stage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Social media cut a different pattern, in which individual companies deflated even as the entire market grew.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

“But I’m just finishing up,” Dan protested, now deflated.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

When the skin has collapsed into your palm like a deflated balloon, you lift the box grater and discover an almost implausible amount of ruby pulp underneath it.

From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026

When Angelo announced it was time to go home, I felt deflated.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

It was said to have been about the same length as a bus before it began deflating in the world's busiest shipping lane.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Then they would promptly sidestep or bet against it, deflating the bubble before it could expand anywhere near the bursting point.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

She takes in more of his deflating stalling before saying to him, in English, “Dr. Kim, I love you.”

From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2026

After that deflating breakup, she had decided to describe herself honestly on a dating app as “wordy, nerdy and kind of sturdy,” and not a lot of people responded, but one did, she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026

At Swanson’s home lab in Hawaii, the volcanoes K.lauea and Mauna Loa were like blisters, rising as magma swelled inside and then deflating once the fluid was released in an eruption.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Related Words

• depress
• diminish
• exhaust