inflate

[ in-fleyt ]

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.

Origin of inflate

First recorded in 1500–20; from Latin inflātus, past participle of inflāre “to blow on or into, puff out,” equivalent to in- in-² + flā- blow² + -tus past participle suffix

synonym study For inflate

1. See expand.

Opposites for inflate

deflate

See antonyms for inflate on Thesaurus.com

Other words from inflate

in·flat·er, in·fla·tor, noun
o·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. 2023

How to use inflate in a sentence

They frequently overshoot on the upside, inflating values, reputations, and egos far above their underlying value.
Why Ron Johnson Couldn’t Save JCPenney | Daniel Gross | April 8, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Steniakina repeats many of them, including the charge that the LDS has been inflating its membership numbers.
Russia’s Anti-Mormon Campaign | Anna Nemtsova | December 9, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
The company pins the fiasco on the British software company for inflating its books.
HP Board Member Marc Andreessen, an Internet Pioneer, Deserves Some of the Blame for the Company’s Failures | Rob Cox | November 21, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Inflating his age by a year (in reality turning 20 at the time), Moon was determined make his birthday a smash.
Speed Read: 11 Most Shocking Moments From Pete Townshend’s ‘Who I Am’ | Abby Haglage | October 8, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
The contracts whizzed back and forth, inflating trading volume and crushing prices.
How Wall Street Computers Almost Killed Knight Trading | Alex Klein, Matthew Zeitlin | August 7, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST

When handballs become "dead," or no longer bounce freely, they may frequently be restored by inflating them with air.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2 | Various
The ass held up her head, and looked around; but the inflating being discontinued, she sank once more in apparent death.
Wanderings in South America | Charles Waterton
I conceive also, that the difficulty of inflating the lungs is always increased in proportion as the patient becomes more awake.
A Treatise on the Incubus, or Night-Mare, Disturbed Sleep, Terrific Dreams and Nocturnal Visions | John Waller
This is the service a Belleisle can do; inflating a poor man to Kaisership, beyond his natural size!
History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. XIII. (of XXI.) | Thomas Carlyle
To him the art is indebted for the introduction of carbureted-hydrogen, or coal gas, as the means of inflating balloons.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. IX.--February, 1851.--Vol. II. | Various

British Dictionary definitions for inflate

inflate

/ (ɪnˈfleɪt) /

verb

to expand or cause to expand by filling with gas or air: she needed to inflate the tyres
(tr) to cause to increase excessively; puff up; swell: to 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

Origin of inflate

C16: from Latin inflāre to blow into, from flāre to blow

Derived forms of inflate

inflatedly, adverb
inflatedness, noun
inflater or inflator, noun

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

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