1
as in compressed
to become smaller in size or volume due to loss of contents
We kept her birthday decorations up until the balloons started deflating.
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2
as in emptied
to make smaller in size or volume by removing the contents
Please deflate the air mattress and fold it up before you leave.
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3
as in reduced
to make or become lower in amount or value
The excess supply deflated prices. The company's stock has deflated.
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4
as in weakened
to cause to lose force or effectiveness
Her cutting remark deflated his ego. The lawsuit deflated their hopes for a quick resolution.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deflated
Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 16 Feb. 2026
Feeling like a deflated balloon.
—Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 20 Jan. 2026
If nothing else, Rodgers would take out the frustration of a first-round playoff defeat on the 22-year-old Bullock and deny him a chance to celebrate in front of 67,297 deflated fans.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Some baristas may feel deflated watching Starbucks employees notch union victories without ratified contracts to show for it.
—Bryce Covert, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Nov. 2025
Brady himself was caught throwing deflated footballs.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
There was even a deflated version of his first look, where the material turned into an embroidery-like flurry.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
Yes, Pettersson’s been hindered by a disappointing group of wingers (Evander Kane, Jake DeBrusk, Brock Boeser) on his line, which has almost certainly deflated his point production.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Through age or choice, that voice has deflated considerably, sounding more like Caine from Menace II Society than Smokey from Friday.
—Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 24 Feb. 2026
Her hair was the wrong blonde, her Birkin deflated, her coat cheaply fitted.
—Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
But those hopes soon were deflated.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
That idea was deflated by Black American Jesse Owens, who won four track and field gold medals at the games.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026
The reactionary anti-woke moment of the 2020s feels as deflated as ever, and our collective nostalgia for 2016 appears to offer the chance at something of a do-over.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2026
Officers successfully tracked the vehicle and deployed a spike strip that deflated the car's tires, police said.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Any sense of achievement is just so deflated.
—Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 16 Feb. 2026
Feeling like a deflated balloon.
—Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 20 Jan. 2026
If nothing else, Rodgers would take out the frustration of a first-round playoff defeat on the 22-year-old Bullock and deny him a chance to celebrate in front of 67,297 deflated fans.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Some baristas may feel deflated watching Starbucks employees notch union victories without ratified contracts to show for it.
—Bryce Covert, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Nov. 2025
Brady himself was caught throwing deflated footballs.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
There was even a deflated version of his first look, where the material turned into an embroidery-like flurry.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Verb
Khosla’s remarks recalled those from economic expert Kent Smetters, director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model, who told Fortune in January that so many goods have been deflated in price that people don’t fully appreciate the benefits.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
Yes, Pettersson’s been hindered by a disappointing group of wingers (Evander Kane, Jake DeBrusk, Brock Boeser) on his line, which has almost certainly deflated his point production.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Through age or choice, that voice has deflated considerably, sounding more like Caine from Menace II Society than Smokey from Friday.
—Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 24 Feb. 2026
Her hair was the wrong blonde, her Birkin deflated, her coat cheaply fitted.
—Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
But those hopes soon were deflated.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
That idea was deflated by Black American Jesse Owens, who won four track and field gold medals at the games.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026
The reactionary anti-woke moment of the 2020s feels as deflated as ever, and our collective nostalgia for 2016 appears to offer the chance at something of a do-over.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2026
Officers successfully tracked the vehicle and deployed a spike strip that deflated the car's tires, police said.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflated
Adjective
-
But even in a semi-collapsed state, people want family and children and vacations, and so Caroline somewhat reluctantly joins Adam and a cohort of others on Haven.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Kevin Loughlin opened his door to a collapsed mess.—
Joe Holden,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
It also gets compressed, which squeezes the air and puts even more pressure on it, which heats it up.—
Zoe Mintz,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Years of work compressed into one headline.—
Brendan Keegan,
Rolling Stone,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
While native vegetation isn't adapted to fire, buffelgrass thrives on it — its seeds stir awake in the aftermath of a burn, in a new world that's emptied and fresh for the taking.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Mazzulla emptied his bench in the final minute, closing the game with his entire 2025 draft class (Hugo Gonzalez, Amari Williams and Max Shulga) on the floor.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Halsey said the women’s identities were reduced to billboard images during the investigation of their deaths.—
Jane Horowitz,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Second, the swift realignment of NASA Goddard’s priorities with the President’s budget request for the 2026 fiscal year — a realignment that occurred when the budget was still only a request — reduced the availability of mission formulation and mission engineering personnel to work on AXIS.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Will they be weakened domestically by entering the war?—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Tornado watch ends for central and east-central Georgia A tornado warning had been issued earlier Thursday morning for parts of Marion County, Chattahoochee County and Webster County before expiring once the immediate tornado threat weakened.—
CBS News Atlanta Digital Team,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Jared McCain caught a no-look, behind-the-back pass from Isaiah Hartenstein and drained a 3-pointer to give Oklahoma City a 91-80 lead.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Gordon answered with his fifth 3-pointer of the game to put Denver in front, but veteran guard Marcus Smart drained his season high-tying fifth 3-pointer to put the Lakers back ahead by two points with 30 seconds left.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Back then, the S & P 500 plunged over 40% in a year as a recession occurred alongside the OPEC oil crisis.—
Morgan Chittum,Matthew J. Belvedere,
CNBC,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Hanson, who spends much of his life crawling through underbrush to count trees, plunged ahead into stands of chest-high ceanothus, pointing out sequoias camouflaged in the pervasive post-fire brush.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Aleph and other Jewish chaplaincy groups say the chaplaincy system is being undermined by the Messianic movement, whose adherents may identify as Jews but are not recognized as such by any denomination of Judaism.—
Asaf Elia-Shalev,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The fighting has grounded regional air traffic, threatened desalination facilities that provide drinking water to millions and undermined the safe reputation of modern metropolises such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deflated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflated. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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