inflate
verb /ɪnˈfleɪt/
/ɪnˈfleɪt/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they inflate | /ɪnˈfleɪt/ /ɪnˈfleɪt/ |
| he / she / it inflates | /ɪnˈfleɪts/ /ɪnˈfleɪts/ |
| past simple inflated | /ɪnˈfleɪtɪd/ /ɪnˈfleɪtɪd/ |
| past participle inflated | /ɪnˈfleɪtɪd/ /ɪnˈfleɪtɪd/ |
| -ing form inflating | /ɪnˈfleɪtɪŋ/ /ɪnˈfleɪtɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] inflate (something) to fill something or become filled with gas or air
- Inflate your life jacket by pulling sharply on the cord.
- The balloons had been inflated with helium.
- When attacked, the fish inflates itself to twice its size.
- The life jacket failed to inflate.
- The dinghy was in the water, fully inflated.
- [transitive] inflate something to make something appear to be more important or impressive than it really is
- The media have grossly inflated the significance of this meeting.
- [transitive, intransitive] inflate (something) to increase the price of something; to increase in price
- The principal effect of the demand for new houses was to inflate prices.
- The profit margin had been artificially inflated.
- Food prices are no longer inflating at the same rate as last year.
Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin inflat- ‘blown into’, from the verb inflare, from in- ‘into’ + flare ‘to blow’.