Synonyms of inflate

inflate

verb

1

as in to increase

to make greater in size, amount, or number

Check that you have inflated your tires to the recommended pressure.

Some sellers were inflating their prices by as much as 500 per cent.

Related Words

• increase
• raise
• expand
• lift
• distend
• dilate
• augment
• accelerate
• aggrandize
• amplify
• aerate
• add (to)
• swell
• enlarge
• multiply
• escalate
• extend
• stoke
• blow up
• boost
• skyrocket
• jump
• lengthen
• prolong
• up
• compound
• heighten
• build up
• elongate
• pump up
• spike
• enhance
• hike
• stretch
• intensify
• boom
• supersize
• reinforce
• jack (up)
• hype
• draw out
• magnify
• protract
• maximize
• develop
• bump (up)
• flesh (out)
• ratchet (up)
• complement
• supplement
• strengthen
• accumulate
• rachet (up)
• amass
• collect
• beef (up)
• parlay
• follow up

Dissimilar Words

• compress
• reduce
• condense
• constrict
• decrease
• diminish
• contract
• lessen
• lower
• downsize
• dwindle
• abate
• curtail
• shorten
• subtract (from)
• abridge
• abbreviate
• minify
• cut back
• retrench
• de-escalate

2

as in to accelerate

to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number

Airbags are designed to inflate automatically on impact.

Related Words

• accelerate
• expand
• rise
• swell
• increase
• jump
• accumulate
• bulk
• balloon
• distend
• mount
• climb
• proliferate
• escalate
• multiply
• spread
• puff (up)
• enlarge
• roll up
• intensify
• boom
• surge
• blow up
• appreciate
• heighten
• rocket
• skyrocket
• gain
• snowball
• build up
• wax
• burgeon
• mushroom
• peak
• redouble
• crescendo
• crest

Dissimilar Words

• decrease
• diminish
• lessen
• recede
• contract
• shrink
• compress
• dwindle
• condense
• wane
• constrict

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb inflate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of inflate are amplify, dilate, distend, expand, and swell. While all these words mean "to increase in size or volume," inflate implies expanding by introduction of air or something insubstantial and suggests a vulnerability to sudden collapse.

an inflated ego

When is amplify a more appropriate choice than inflate?

While in some cases nearly identical to inflate, amplify implies the extension or enlargement of something inadequate.

amplify the statement with details

When is it sensible to use dilate instead of inflate?

The meanings of dilate and inflate largely overlap; however, dilate applies especially to expansion of circumference.

dilated pupils

Where would distend be a reasonable alternative to inflate?

Although the words distend and inflate have much in common, distend implies outward extension caused by pressure from within.

a distended abdomen

When might expand be a better fit than inflate?

The synonyms expand and inflate are sometimes interchangeable, but expand may apply regardless of the manner of increase (such as growth, unfolding, addition of parts).

a business that expands every year

When could swell be used to replace inflate?

The words swell and inflate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, swell implies gradual expansion beyond a thing's original or normal limits.

the bureaucracy swelled to unmanageable proportions

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of inflate

Marine officials said the tossing and churning in the surf caused gases to form and inflate the tongue. —Adam Thompson, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026

Each one of the over 300 locations had to be 300 times less likely to fail than if there had been only one, pumping up the design, manufacturing and testing requirements – and inflating the cost. —Martin Elvis, The Conversation, 9 Jan. 2026

The balloon is inflated to about 160 cc or more, gently spreading the tissue without cutting. —Essence, 7 Jan. 2026

And no, that’s not scaffolding law, which the city recently reformed, but an arcane state labor law that has exponentially inflated the cost of construction beyond reason for decades. —Elizabeth Crowley, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026