inflate
Etymology

From , from the verb īnflō.

Pronunciation
  • (British, America) enPR: ĭn-flāt', IPA: /ɪnˈfleɪt/
Verb

inflate (inflates, present participle inflating; simple past and past participle inflated)

  1. (transitive) To 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.
    • 1782, John Scott of Amwell, An Essay on Painting:
      When passion's tumults in the bosom rise, / Inflate the features, and enrage the eyes.
  2. (intransitive) To enlarge by filling with air (or a gas).
    The balloon will inflate if you blow into it.
  3. (figurative) To swell; to puff up.
    to inflate somebody with pride or vanity
    • 1859, Alfred Tennyson, “Vivien”, in Idylls of the King, London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], →OCLC ↗, page 137 ↗:
      [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, […]
  4. (transitive, computing) To decompress (data) that was previously deflated.
  5. (figurative, transitive) To 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.
Antonyms Related terms Translations Translations Translations Translations
  • Spanish: descomprimir, desempaquetar



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