Alison LurieRosemary MahoneyDavid BarronBill Overton
Did you know?
We’re not just blowing hot air when we tell you that conflate can actually be traced back to the same roots as the English verb blow. Conflate comes from conflatus, a form of the Latin verb conflare (“to blow together, to fuse”), which was formed by combining the prefix com-, meaning “with” or “together,” with the Latin verb flare, meaning “to blow.” Blow’s ancestor, the Old English word blāwan, shares an ancestor with flare. When two or more things are conflated, they are figuratively “blown together” either by someone’s confusion or ingenuity. Other descendants of flare in English include flavor, inflate, and, well, flatulent.
Examples of conflate in a Sentence
Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 20 Oct. 2025
In the process, eras get conflated.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
That’s part of the reason people have such an easy time conflating you with your character.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2025
Among the crowds, which have on occasion contained tens of thousands, there have been displays of violent antisemitic sentiment, as well as language that conflates enmity toward Israel, Zionism and Jews themselves.
—Alex Holmes, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conflate
Cite this Entry
“Conflate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conflate. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share