Inflate

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈfleɪt/

Definitions of inflate

verb to fill with air or gas, causing to expand or become larger in size

Example Sentences

A1 Balloons inflate when you blow air into them.

A2 It is important to inflate the tires of your bike before riding.

B1 The company tried to inflate their profits by manipulating their financial statements.

B2 The government's decision to inflate the currency caused inflation to skyrocket.

C1 The athlete used illegal substances to inflate his performance during the competition.

C2 The media often inflates the importance of minor events to create sensational headlines.

Examples of inflate in a Sentence

formal The company decided to inflate the prices of their products due to increasing production costs.

informal I heard they're going to inflate the prices of the tickets for the concert next month.

slang Don't inflate your ego just because you got a promotion.

figurative Her extravagant lifestyle only serves to inflate her sense of self-importance.

Grammatical Forms of inflate

• past tense: inflated
• plural: inflates
• comparative: more inflated
• superlative: most inflated
• present tense: inflate
• future tense: will inflate
• perfect tense: have inflated
• continuous tense: is inflating
• singular: inflates
• positive degree: inflate
• infinitive: to inflate
• gerund: inflating
• participle: inflated

Origin and Evolution of inflate

First Known Use: 1533 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'inflate' originated from the Latin word 'inflare', which is a combination of 'in-' (meaning 'into') and 'flare' (meaning 'to blow').

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'inflate' has retained its basic meaning of 'to fill with air or gas', but it has also come to be used in a more metaphorical sense to describe the act of increasing something, such as prices or egos, beyond its natural or appropriate limits.