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
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 long wait allowed Atletico to regroup and regain their composure, while Barca appeared deflated at missing out on an opportunity to get back into the match.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 12 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
Trump’s escalating trade war with China during his first term deflated the stock market.
—Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
But by the late 2000s and 2010s, the palm tree had deflated to a low ponytail, a look that stylist Guido Palau presented on the Christian Dior fall 2015 runway.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 27 Jan. 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
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 long wait allowed Atletico to regroup and regain their composure, while Barca appeared deflated at missing out on an opportunity to get back into the match.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 12 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
Trump’s escalating trade war with China during his first term deflated the stock market.
—Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
But by the late 2000s and 2010s, the palm tree had deflated to a low ponytail, a look that stylist Guido Palau presented on the Christian Dior fall 2015 runway.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflated
Adjective
-
The newborn daughter of a woman killed in a Queens house fire was found dead in the collapsed home two days later, FDNY official said Wednesday.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The Los Angeles County Fire Department on Wednesday rescued three people who were trapped under a collapsed retaining wall in Lennox.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Homeowners may need to make that request even before the property is sold and the timeline for filing a claim can be compressed.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Whereas previous technological leaps forward were measured in decades, with agentic AI, automation, quantum computing, and humanoid robotics, the adaptation time has been compressed to months.—
Martin Whittaker,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Hundreds of Indian border villages have emptied out as residents move to towns and cities in other parts of the country.—
Omkar Khandekar,
NPR,
17 Feb. 2026
-
In the Philippines, the game arrived with the colonialist American military presence, and when the bases emptied, control of the enclaves passed seamlessly to the ruling local elite.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As Russia reduced flows, prices spiked, pushing up energy bills and helping fuel a cost of living crisis.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Ultimately, the report states, about 1% of the district’s more than 83,000 employees are likely to lose a job or have their pay reduced.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Mutawa, as the religious police are known, had their powers significantly weakened in 2016.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Well, he's weakened the regulations on clean cars.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Huskies drained five 3-pointers in the third after hitting just four in the first half with Ziebell knocking down a pair in the final two minutes of the quarter.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
22 Feb. 2026
-
CEOs are struggling to switch off, Ko says, and making high-stakes decisions while their mental batteries are drained.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Stone's black gown featured a giant keyhole cutout that plunged almost to her belly button.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
22 Feb. 2026
-
But since then, Reuters recently reported, cocoa prices have plunged by 70 percent due to falling demand and because candy makers have developed alternatives to chocolate.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Ultimately, Dolan and Huang say, this method undermined China's goal to build positive influence.—
Fatma Tanis,
NPR,
24 Feb. 2026
-
His actions have undermined our democracy and made America a laughingstock.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deflated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflated. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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