deflating

present participle of deflate
1
2
3
4

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deflating One notable rotation adjustment following Sunday's deflating loss was the flip in minutes between Sophie Cunningham and rookie Raven Johnson. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026 Wild indri lemurs, the only species of lemur known to sing, project sounds more like a deflating balloon than Bizet, but those vocalizations can travel through a thick forest. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026 This walk-off rescued the Guardians from a deflating defeat that would have delivered a seismic blow to their AL Central chances. — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 Hampton would’ve done more if not for deflating injuries that limited him to 10 games. — Joaquin Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026 But instead of settling for a deflating draw, Boise flipped the switch, starting attacking again and emerged with all three points. — Idaho Statesman, 9 Aug. 2026 Intelligence as an input cost is deflating faster than almost any commodity in the history of technology. — Michael Wee, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026 Nothing makes this part of the chase memorable or important enough to merit a flash-forward, which turns it into a deflating blunder in a series that can’t afford to slow down. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 15 July 2026 The note is there when Sugar gets back, placating his suspicions (for now) and deflating his ego. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 10 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflating
Verb
  • The possibility -- even likelihood -- of some rickety old thing collapsing under me never occurred to me.
    — Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Whether Merz can stabilize his chancellorship and prevent his reform program from collapsing midstream is a question whose outcome may soon become clear.
    — , CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Achieving that, however, will require emptying an injury list that is almost as long as the starting lineup.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Palencia said the gunman carried two magazines for the weapon and reloaded them after emptying the first one before turning the gun at himself.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Local officials and school leaders have linked the shortage of family housing to declining enrollment in the Davis Joint Unified School District, which is weighing school closures.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • And the Civilian Oversight Commission filed suit against the department in June for declining to provide certain records related to three cases of use of force the commission issued subpoenas for in February 2025.
    — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Flynn’s intruder story The prosecution’s other primary focus has been on undermining Flynn’s story that an intruder killed his wife.
    — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The settlement resolved a pivotal case years in the making that sought to hold the tech giant accountable for the role its platforms played in undermining children's mental health.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • In a twist on tailoring, jackets dripping with fringe made their way down the runway at Monse.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Zendaya, who was a nominee for her powerful performance on the HBO drama Euphoria, wore a glamorous Prada gown dripping with crystals that was styled by Law Roach.
    — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • This severe segmentation can be emotionally draining and erodes commitment to the organization.
    — Catherine Bell, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Teams devised an unprecedented bit of spaceship surgery to replace the valve without draining the propellant and disassembling the spacecraft, steps that would have triggered a much longer delay.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The answer may be different if the goal is reducing overall homelessness, helping people into the job market, spending as little taxpayer money as possible, improving health outcomes — or just keeping people alive.
    — Laura Ungar, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Like morphine and fentanyl, cychlorphine locks onto the brain’s mu-opioid receptors, reducing pain and increasing euphoria.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Deterioration is exacerbated if water reaches the steel rebar, corroding from inside the concrete mass and thereby weakening the integrity of the wall.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Those states’ experiences show that weakening graduation requirements reduces accountability for schools.
    — Neetu Arnold, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Deflating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflating. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster