inflate
[in-fleyt]
- to distend; swell or puff out; dilate: The king cobra inflates its hood.
- to cause to expand or distend with air or gas: to inflate a balloon.
- to puff up with pride, satisfaction, etc.
- to elate.
- Economics. to expand (money, prices, an economy, etc.) unduly in amount, value, or size; affect with inflation.
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- to become inflated.
- to increase, especially suddenly and substantially: The $10 subscription has inflated to $25.
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Origin of inflate
Synonyms
See more synonyms for inflate on Thesaurus.com1. See expand.
Antonyms
1. deflate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for inflate
Contemporary Examples
Does it matter whether Taylor Swift wants me to inflate my Internet notoriety by doing a dumb thing where I lip sync to her music?
Death of the Author by Viral Infection: In Defense of Taylor Swift, Digital DoomsayerArthur Chu
December 3, 2014
Otherwise, there's a tendency for people with small businesses to inflate the expenses of the business to match the income.
Apropos inflation, the government could try to inflate its way out of this crisis, covering the deficit by printing money.
But could this invoking of the words of the Godfather of Soul be a belated effort to inflate these flat polling numbers?
You have to add a lot of minor traffic violators and visa overstayers to inflate that figure to 94 percent.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel Is Latest to Reject ‘Secure Communities’ Immigration LawRobert M. Morgenthau
July 13, 2012
Historical Examples
To belly a sail is to inflate or fill it with the wind, so as to give a taut leech.
The Sailor's Word-BookWilliam Henry Smyth
"Launch and inflate another target-globe," he ordered drily.
Talents, IncorporatedWilliam Fitzgerald Jenkins
Joe took a little longer than usual to inflate his lungs this time.
Joe Strong, the Boy FishVance Barnum
Why inflate what is unimportant, and waste description on silly things?
Bouvard and PcuchetGustave Flaubert
Only their bubbs were intact, but there was nothing with which to inflate them.
The Planet StrappersRaymond Zinke Gallun
inflate
- to expand or cause to expand by filling with gas or airshe needed to inflate the tyres
- (tr) to cause to increase excessively; puff up; swellto inflate one's opinion of oneself
- (tr) to cause inflation of (prices, money, etc)
- (tr) to raise in spirits; elate
- (intr) to undergo economic inflation
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Word Origin
C16: from Latin inflāre to blow into, from flāre to blow
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for inflate
v.
early 15c., "cause to swell," from Latin inflatus, past participle of inflare "to blow into, inflate" (see inflation). Economics sense from 1844. In some senses a back-formation from inflation. Related: Inflatable; inflated; inflating.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper