inflatable

American  

[in-flay-tuh-buhl] / ɪnˈfleɪ tə bəl /

adjective

1. capable of being inflated.

2. designed or built to be inflated before use.

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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

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adjective

1. capable of being inflated

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reinflatable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• inflatables
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of inflatable

First recorded in 1875–80; inflate + -able

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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

Officers have seized 25 inflatable boats reportedly destined to be shipped to cross-Channel people smugglers.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Rather than try to flee, the larger speedboat began circling the inflatable, taunting the four Civil Guard officers aboard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 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

Marty got a giant Top Quark pool, it was inflatable and huge, and the pool was in Top Quark’s belly?

From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson

There were surreal scenes at one point on Saturday as fans jeered during the Premier League anthem while waving the inflatables in the air.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

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

If you’re looking to go big on your decor, skeletons, gravestones and inflatables are perfect to transform your home into a real-life haunted house.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2025

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

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