1
as in to increase
to make greater in size, amount, or number
Check that you have inflated your tires to the recommended pressure. Some sellers were inflating their prices by as much as 500 per cent.
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2
as in to accelerate
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
Airbags are designed to inflate automatically on impact.
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of inflate
In the first quarter of 2025, S&P 500 firms spent over a record $293 billion on share repurchases—a scam that inflates executive bonuses tied to earnings-per-share metrics.
—
Dan Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
These middlemen, especially large hospitals, intentionally inflate patient costs.
—Joel White, Boston Herald, 7 July 2025
Agrawal paid it, but continued inflating his reimbursements after the warning, the complaint said.
—Liliana Fannin, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025
Many conservatives criticize the use of the taxes as a way to inflate the federal government’s share of costs.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for inflate
Dan Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
These middlemen, especially large hospitals, intentionally inflate patient costs.
—Joel White, Boston Herald, 7 July 2025
Agrawal paid it, but continued inflating his reimbursements after the warning, the complaint said.
—Liliana Fannin, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025
Many conservatives criticize the use of the taxes as a way to inflate the federal government’s share of costs.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for inflate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflate
Verb
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In a LinkedIn post, Farley called for speeding up permitting processes, increasing spending on vocational training, leveraging robotics and augmented reality to help with these spaces and suggested an AmeriCorps-type program for these roles.—
Breana Noble,
Boston Herald,
13 July 2025
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Over the past year or so, those activities have increased.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
13 July 2025
Verb
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Whether through the Deloitte Global FoF framework or others, leaders can benefit from taking a structured approach to investing in smart operations and to accelerating the convergence of IT and OT.—
John England,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
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Flooding that started slow was quickly accelerating.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
8 July 2025
Verb
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Money raised will prioritize private residential nursing care, additional support services and ongoing transport and palliative care needs.—
Katie Bain,
Billboard,
15 July 2025
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Attorneys in death penalty cases often raise the issue of past trauma as a mitigating factor for juries to consider when deciding punishment.—
The Marshall Project,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 July 2025
Verb
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Although the company is actively adapting—expanding into energy storage, changing billing models, and tweaking its supply chain—investors continue to be concerned about the pace and effectiveness of these strategic adjustments.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
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Mari said the strike has now expanded to include Teamsters in California and Washington state, and that upwards of 4,000 union members are now in the midst of a work stoppage.—
Matthew Medsger,
Boston Herald,
14 July 2025
Verb
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Comparing unit prices at the grocery store, shopping the sale racks and collecting spare change are necessities for many Americans, who are coping with stagnant wages, rising prices and mounting bills.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
10 July 2025
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Office completions in 2024 fell to their lowest share of inventory since 2012 and are set to slow further, reflecting high vacancy rates, rising debt and construction costs, and falling office values.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
10 July 2025
Verb
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Garcia, his disheveled hair increasingly gray, ballooned in weight and often lost a beat.—
Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune,
3 July 2025
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The change would add to the U.S.’s already ballooning deficit and mostly benefit rich Americans, analysts said.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
2 July 2025
Verb
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After the game, there seemed to be bruising and swelling around it.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
6 July 2025
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The phenomenon was accompanied by heavy rainfall that occurred farther north, causing a stream to swell and damage several properties.—
María de los Ángeles Orfila,
Space.com,
5 July 2025
Verb
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The effect is to both collapse and distend time until all the souls in the book, most of them nameless anyway, exist at the same time, in the same place, forever.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
3 Mar. 2025
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Isaiah was also malnourished and dehydrated at the time of his death, with his small and large intestines markedly distended.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Inflate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflate. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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