deflate

American  

[dih-fleyt] / dɪˈfleɪt /

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.

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verb (used without object)

deflated, deflating

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

• deflator noun
• self-deflated adjective

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

Example Sentences

Taken along with the overall stink that still hangs on the Globes, which joins the general toxicity wafting in the air a mere 11 days into 2026, however, it’s all pretty deflating.

From Salon

In the early 2000s, as the dot-com bubble deflated, stocks fell as valuations normalized.

From Barron's

On the day after Christmas, Caldeira drives past Santas and reindeer that have already begun to deflate as he listens to audio books and sips his berry energy drink.

From The Wall Street Journal

In another, a TCU running back was busting his way through tackles on third and long, rumbling his way into the end zone, deflating any delusions of grandeur.

From Los Angeles Times

In its wake, he launched a newsletter he said would share his latest big thesis with investors, focusing on why the AI stocks would deflate.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• depress
• diminish
• exhaust