Meanings
verbinflate (third-person singular simple present inflates, present participle inflating, simple past and past participle inflated)
present singular third person inflates · participle present inflating · participle past inflated · past inflated
- transitiveTo enlarge an object by pushing air (or a gas) into it; to raise or expand abnormally
You inflate a balloon by blowing air into it.
1 more example
When passion's tumults in the bosom rise, / Inflate the features, and enrage the eyes.
1782, John Scott of Amwell, An Essay on Painting - figurativelyTo swell; to puff up.
to inflate somebody with pride or vanity
1 more example
[I]f they find / Some stain or blemish in a name of note, / Not grieving that their greatest are so small, / Inflate themselves with some insane delight, / And judge all nature from her feet of clay, […]
1859, Alfred Tennyson, “Vivien”, in Idylls of the King, London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], →OCLC, page 137 - transitivecomputingTo decompress (data) that was previously deflated.
- figurativelytransitiveTo represent something as being more important, better, or worse than it actually is; to exaggerate.
Israel routinely claims that the Gaza Ministry of Health, which is run by Hamas, has a tendency to inflate the number of Palestinian casualties in the Gaza Strip.
Synonyms & antonyms
Opposite
verbcause prices to rise by increasing the available currency or credit
Opposite
verbincrease the amount or availability of, creating a rise in value
Opposite
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Ancient Greek φυσιόω
- φυσιόω (phusióō)(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Arabic نَفَخَ, نَفَخَ
- نَفَخَ (nafaḵa)(transitive) to enlarge by filling with gas
- نَفَخَ (nafaḵa)(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Bulgarian напомпвам, надувам се
- напомпвам (napompvam)(transitive) to enlarge by filling with gas
- надувам се (naduvam se)(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
- надувам (naduvam)(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Catalan inflar, unflar
- inflar(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
- unflar(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
- inflar(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
- unflar(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Chinese Mandarin 膨脹 /膨胀, 充氣 /充气
- 膨脹 /膨胀 (péngzhàng)(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
- 充氣 /充气 (chōngqì)(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Czech nafouknout, nafouknout
- nafouknout(transitive) to enlarge by filling with gas
- nafouknout(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Dutch opblazen
- opblazen(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Esperanto enblovi
- enblovi(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Estonian täis puhuma
- täis puhuma(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Finnish täyttää, täyttyä
- täyttää(transitive) to enlarge by filling with gas
- täyttyä(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
- avatato decompress data
- täyttää(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
French gonfler, se gonfler
- gonfler(transitive) to enlarge by filling with gas
- se gonfler(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
- gonfler(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
- gonfler(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
- enfler(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
German aufblasen, aufblasen
- aufblasen(transitive) to enlarge by filling with gas
- aufblasen(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
- aufpumpen(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
- aufblähen(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Greek φουσκώνω, φουσκώνω
- φουσκώνω (fouskóno)(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
- φουσκώνω (fouskóno)(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Hindi फुलाना
- फुलाना (phulānā)(transitive) to enlarge by filling with gas
Hungarian felfúvódik, felfúj
- felfúvódik(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
- felfúj(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Icelandic blása upp
- blása upp(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Italian enfiare, gonfiare
- enfiare(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
- gonfiare(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Japanese 膨らむ, 膨らませる
- 膨らむ (fukuramu)(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
- 膨らませる (fukuramaseru)(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Korean 부풀리다
- 부풀리다 (bupullida)(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
Latin sufflō, inflō
- sufflō(transitive) to enlarge by filling with gas
- inflō(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
- sufflō(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Latvian piepūst
- piepūst(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Māori whakamakoha, whakamakoha
- whakamakoha(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
- whakamakoha(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Polish pompować balon, napompować balon
- pompować balon(transitive) to enlarge by filling with gas
- napompować balon(transitive) to enlarge by filling with gas
- dmuchać(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
- nadmuchiwać(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
- nadmuchać(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
- nadymać(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Portuguese encher, inchar
- encher(transitive) to enlarge by filling with gas
- inchar(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
- inflar(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Romanian umfla
- umfla(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Russian надува́ться, наду́ться
- надува́ться (naduvátʹsja)(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
- наду́ться (nadútʹsja)(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
- наполня́ться (napolnjátʹsja)(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
- напо́лниться (napólnitʹsja)(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
- нака́чиваться (nakáčivatʹsja)(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
- накача́ться (nakačátʹsja)(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
- надува́ть (naduvátʹ)(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
- наду́ть (nadútʹ)(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
- наполня́ть (napolnjátʹ)(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
- напо́лнить (napólnitʹ)(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
- нака́чивать (nakáčivatʹ)(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
- накача́ть (nakačátʹ)(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Scottish Gaelic sèid
- sèid(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Slovak nafúkať
- nafúkať(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Spanish descomprimir, desempaquetar
- descomprimirto decompress data
- desempaquetarto decompress data
- inflar(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
- hinchar(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
- implar(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Swedish blåsa upp
- blåsa upp(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Thai ขยาย
- ขยาย (kà-yǎai)(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
Turkish şişmek, şişirmek
- şişmek(intransitive) to become enlarged by being filled with gas
- şişirmek(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Ukrainian надува́ти, надима́ти
- надува́ти (naduváty)(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
- надима́ти (nadymáty)(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
- наду́ти (nadúty)(transitive) to enlarge the volume occupied by an object
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with inflate
datestategreatratecreateupdateweightlatecertificatewaiteightstraightplatechocolatedebatehategatedonateevaluatelocatekatealternatetranslatemate
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
inflate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inflate
MLA
“inflate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inflate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “inflate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inflate.
Source: inflate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.