inflate
verb
Simple meaning
To enlarge an object by pushing air into it.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihnflaytSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪnfˈleɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To enlarge an object by pushing air (or a gas) into it; to raise or expand abnormally
intransitive
To enlarge by filling with air (or a gas).
figurativetransitive
To represent something as being more important, better, or worse than it actually is; to exaggerate.
figurative
To swell; to puff up.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To enlarge an object by pushing air (or a gas) into it; to raise or expand abnormally
Used this way, inflate is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use inflate
- “The charges were inflated.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A cushion usually made of rubber or plastic that can be inflated.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to enlarge an object by pushing air (or a gas) into it
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.