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

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

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 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

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

The Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar to serve as Donald Trump's presidential jet experienced a takeoff delay Wednesday as inspectors checked one of its inflatable slides used for emergency evacuations.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

It was like a library in there, tall stacks of rods, shirts, hats, pants, shoes and jackets, and tennis rackets and inflatable rafts lining the narrow aisles.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

Hundreds of migrants have entered Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta, with many swimming and using inflatables to cross from Morocco.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 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

“I still have customers to this day who say, ‘Please put the inflatables out again,’ but they don’t understand they take forever to dry.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025

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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