inflect

verb

in·flect | \ in-ˈflekt

How to pronounce inflect (audio)

\

inflected; inflecting; inflects

Definition of inflect

transitive verb

1 : to vary (a word) by inflection : decline, conjugate

2 : to change or vary the pitch of inflect one's voice

3 : to affect or alter noticeably : influence an approach inflected by feminism

4 : to turn from a direct line or course : curve

intransitive verb

: to become modified by inflection

Other Words from inflect More Example Sentences Learn More about inflect

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Examples of inflect in a Sentence

Most nouns in English are inflected for plural use by adding “-s” or “-es.” Most nouns in English inflect for plural use by adding “-s” or “-es.” Most adjectives in English do not inflect for gender or number.

Recent Examples on the Web That is the tendency to inflect your judgment of a statement depending on the person making it. — Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, "The Bubble’s Passive Accomplice," 12 Feb. 2021 Trump also attempted to inflect her speech with humor. — Jenny Singer, Glamour, "Ivanka Trump Spent 18 Minutes Praising Her Dad—and Herself—at the RNC," 28 Aug. 2020 Inspired by the Great Replacement–inflected thinking of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, several countries in Eastern Europe are pulling up the drawbridge to foreign migrants, their dim demographic prospects notwithstanding. — Aaron Timms, The New Republic, "Making Life Cheap," 18 May 2020 Researchers say many people have been asymptomatic – or didn't know they were inflected. — USA Today, "The tests that could reopen the country: How they work," 20 Apr. 2020 There are concerns that scores of Yanomani have been inflected by a youth who died of the disease. — Babak Tafreshi, National Geographic, "Trespassing, vandalism rise in U.S. national parks," 14 Apr. 2020 Mario Bastos), this magical realist tale set and shot in bustling capital Luanda is buoyed by a quite outstanding original jazz-inflected soundtrack by Aline Frazao, whose renown already stretches beyond her continent's shores. — Neil Young, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Air Conditioner' ('Ar condicionado'): Film Review | Rotterdam 2020," 26 Jan. 2020 Those footnotes are critical, though: Wifredo Lam, a Cuban painter, appears multiple times, inflecting the standard wartime narrative of European ruin with ideas around the destructive force of colonialism and slavery, an ocean away. — BostonGlobe.com, "The Brancusi gallery at the Museum of Modern Art.," 18 Oct. 2019 Later, Shelby is again confronted by Beebe, whose mealy-mouthed bureaucratic jargon and weaselly chicanery inflects the entire drama. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, "The Airbrushed Racing History of “Ford v Ferrari”," 19 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inflect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near inflect

inflationary spiral

Statistics for inflect

Last Updated

1 Mar 2021

Cite this Entry

“Inflect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inflect. Accessed 16 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for inflect

inflect

verb

English Language Learners Definition of inflect

grammar : to change the form of a word when using it in a particular way

See the full definition for inflect in the English Language Learners Dictionary

inflect

verb

in·flect | \ in-ˈflekt

\

inflected; inflecting

Kids Definition of inflect

1 : to change a word by inflection

2 : to change the pitch of the voice

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