inflate

[ in-fleyt ]

/ ɪnˈfleɪt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR inflate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), in·flat·ed, in·flat·ing.

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.

verb (used without object), in·flat·ed, in·flat·ing.

to become inflated.

to increase, especially suddenly and substantially: The $10 subscription has inflated to $25.

Words nearby inflate

inflammatory lymph, inflammatory papillary hyperplasia, inflammatory pseudotumor, inflammatory rheumatism, inflatable, inflate, inflated, inflation, inflation theory, inflationary, inflationary gap

Origin of inflate

1470–80; < Latin inflātus past participle of inflāre to blow on or into, puff out, equivalent to in- in-² + flā- blow² + -tus past participle suffix

SYNONYMS FOR inflate

1 See expand.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR inflate ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR inflate

1 deflate.

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OTHER WORDS FROM inflate

in·flat·er, in·fla·tor, nouno·ver·in·flate, verb (used with object), o·ver·in·flat·ed, o·ver·in·flat·ing.re·in·flate, verb, re·in·flat·ed, re·in·flat·ing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for inflate

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 Doomsayer|Arthur Chu|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Otherwise, there's a tendency for people with small businesses to inflate the expenses of the business to match the income.
The Taxman Cometh|Megan McArdle|April 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Apropos inflation, the government could try to inflate its way out of this crisis, covering the deficit by printing money.
Fischer King Departs|Bernard Avishai|January 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But could this invoking of the words of the Godfather of Soul be a belated effort to inflate these flat polling numbers?
Why Mitt Romney’s Use of James Brown Annoys Black Voters|Mansfield Frazier|August 31, 2012|DAILY BEAST

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 Law|Robert M. Morgenthau|July 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Let man's better nature revel in the beauties of existence; they inflate his soul.
Crooked Trails|Frederic Remington
He and his good wife gave me affectionate greeting and something to inflate a certain vacuum which had become painfully clamorous.
Life in Dixie during the War|Mary A. H. Gay
It is only irredeemable paper—irredeemable in whole or in part,—that ever appears to inflate prices, relatively to gold.
A New Banking System|Lysander Spooner
We hurry into the heavy rubber suits—and the engineers are already dressed—and inflate at the air-pump taps.
With The Night Mail|Rudyard Kipling
Like the globe-fish, they can erect their spines and inflate their bodies.
The Ocean World:|Louis Figuier

British Dictionary definitions for inflate

inflate

/ (ɪnˈfleɪt) /

verb

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

Derived forms of inflate

inflatedly, adverbinflatedness, nouninflater or inflator, noun

Word Origin for inflate

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

inflate

verb (used with object), in·flat·ed, in·flat·ing.

verb (used without object), in·flat·ed, in·flat·ing.

Words related to inflate

Words nearby inflate

Origin of inflate

SYNONYMS FOR inflate

ANTONYMS FOR inflate

OTHER WORDS FROM inflate

Example sentences from the Web for inflate

British Dictionary definitions for inflate

verb

Derived forms of inflate

Word Origin for inflate