1
as in collapsing
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 emptying
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 declining
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 undermining
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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Recent Examples of deflating
Whipping up a batch seems like a simple enough endeavor, yet a handful of common missteps can quickly turn the ideal home breakfast into a deflating letdown.
—
Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 May 2026
For three deflating decades, IKEA’s dream of inflatable furniture fell flat.
—Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
The Lakers’ latest deflating loss could have used Doncic’s energy, his showmanship, his fire.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026
The deflating defeat, narrated by an intermittent cascade of boos, rendered their record the worst in baseball at 7-16 and suddenly a half-game lousier than the idle New York Mets.
—Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026
SpaceX’s sudden burst of AI investments also means the company is vulnerable to any deflating AI bubble.
—Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 4 May 2026
Entering May, the Giants are 13-18 and sit in last place in the NL West after being swept by the Philadelphia Phillies, a deflating three games in the City of Brotherly Love that snapped their three-series winning streak.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
Investigators said that likely because the tires were deflating, Johnson lost control of the fire engine at 1st Street and Main Street in downtown Longmont.
—Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
And Vance doesn’t seem to mind deflating the balloon.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 May 2026
For three deflating decades, IKEA’s dream of inflatable furniture fell flat.
—Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
The Lakers’ latest deflating loss could have used Doncic’s energy, his showmanship, his fire.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026
The deflating defeat, narrated by an intermittent cascade of boos, rendered their record the worst in baseball at 7-16 and suddenly a half-game lousier than the idle New York Mets.
—Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026
SpaceX’s sudden burst of AI investments also means the company is vulnerable to any deflating AI bubble.
—Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 4 May 2026
Entering May, the Giants are 13-18 and sit in last place in the NL West after being swept by the Philadelphia Phillies, a deflating three games in the City of Brotherly Love that snapped their three-series winning streak.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
Investigators said that likely because the tires were deflating, Johnson lost control of the fire engine at 1st Street and Main Street in downtown Longmont.
—Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
And Vance doesn’t seem to mind deflating the balloon.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflating
Verb
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The dread moving through professional offices right now is the sound of that assumption collapsing.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
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Badham had barely escaped another collapsing production, an early version of The Wiz starring Diana Ross, when producer Robert Stigwood suddenly called him in to take over what was then still called Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night, based on Nik Cohn’s famous New York magazine article.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
28 May 2026
Verb
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On the day Waldorf was admitted to the hospital, ProPublica had published an investigation on the death of Amber Thurman, a 28-year-old medical assistant who died of infection after doctors delayed emptying her uterus.—
Kavitha Surana,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
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On the day Waldorf was admitted to the hospital, ProPublica had published an investigation on the death of Amber Thurman, a 28-year-old medical assistant who died of infection after doctors delayed emptying her uterus.—
Kavitha Surana,
ProPublica,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Gasoline inventories continue to fall sharply, declining last week to the lowest May level since 2014.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
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Nor can conversation alone prepare students for a world shaped by AI, polarization and declining trust in institutions.—
Rajiv Vinnakota,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Congress can pursue fiscal responsibility without undermining one of the most focused and effective nutrition programs in the federal government.—
Sam Raus,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2026
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If organizations aren’t careful, their approach to AI will split their workforce into haves and have-nots, undermining the technology’s benefits.—
Matt Rosenbaum,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
Verb
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The cannister featured an image of an angry mutt with saliva dripping from its jaws.—
Peter Hessler,
New Yorker,
31 May 2026
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Add saucers under containers to catch water to prevent staining the balcony surface and reduce the amount of water dripping on the downstairs neighbors.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
29 May 2026
Verb
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But the recession of 1969–70 hit New York hard, draining the city of half a million jobs.—
Kevin Lozano,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
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Making the powder involves several steps, including milk testing and pasteurization, the separation of curds and whey, draining and pasteurizing the liquid whey, and then sending it to a processing facility to remove more liquid via evaporation and spray drying.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
Verb
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But after years of record investment by the state in such wildfire risk mitigation, two key money sources are drying up, potentially reducing the state’s annual budget for vegetation removal by hundreds of millions of dollars.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
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Although reducing carbon pollution, which stays in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, is key to tackling the climate crisis, slashing methane has been seen as something of a low-hanging fruit.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Brooks Koepka, who rejoined the PGA Tour from LIV Golf in January, withdrew from the Charles Schwab Challenge at the last minute despite being originally scheduled to play, further weakening the field.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 May 2026
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Second, some worry that some of the financial safeguards and market disciplines developed after previous crises may be weakening.—
Robert Ginsburg,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deflating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflating. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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