inflicted; inflicting; inflicts
1
a
: to give by or as if by striking
inflict a painful sting
inflict damage
b
: to cause (something unpleasant) to be endured
… inflict my annual message upon the church itself if it might derive benefit thereby.—
Mark Twain
Mark Twain2
: afflict
Examples of inflict in a Sentence
These insects are capable of inflicting a painful sting.
Recent Examples on the Web
Another middleweight showdown will see Roman Kopylov take on Gregory Rodrigues, who is looking to inflict a second straight loss upon the former, having knocked out Jack Hermansson just five months ago.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Nov. 2025
Brown was charged with kidnapping and inflicting bodily harm or terrorizing victim, though CBS Miami reported that his role in the incident is currently unclear.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 15 Nov. 2025
Until the government reopens, under the current FAA mandate, airlines will likely choose to cancel flights that will inflict the least amount of damage on them financially, Abdelghany said.
—Briah Lumpkins, Charlotte Observer, 11 Nov. 2025
After Sinner inflicted his third Grand Slam final defeat at the Australian Open in January, Zverev’s results took a nosedive, culminating in a first-round defeat at Wimbledon, after which the German spoke of how much his form was impacting him.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inflict
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Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Nov. 2025
Brown was charged with kidnapping and inflicting bodily harm or terrorizing victim, though CBS Miami reported that his role in the incident is currently unclear.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 15 Nov. 2025
Until the government reopens, under the current FAA mandate, airlines will likely choose to cancel flights that will inflict the least amount of damage on them financially, Abdelghany said.
—Briah Lumpkins, Charlotte Observer, 11 Nov. 2025
After Sinner inflicted his third Grand Slam final defeat at the Australian Open in January, Zverev’s results took a nosedive, culminating in a first-round defeat at Wimbledon, after which the German spoke of how much his form was impacting him.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inflict
Cite this Entry
“Inflict.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inflict. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
inflict
verb
in·flict
in-ˈflikt 
1
: to give by or as if by striking
inflict a wound
2
: to cause (something damaging or painful) to be endured
inflict punishment
infliction
noun
-ˈflik-shən
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