inflate

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

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 inflate Was his fee inflated like Woltemade’s? Chris Waugh, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025 In the Gilded Age, inflating assets and understating liabilities was standard practice across a booming system. Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025 In this environment, student evaluations have created a perverse incentive for classes to get even easier, and for grades to inflate. Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2025 For decades, rival groups accused one another of inflating voter rolls by having relatives who lived outside the county travel there to vote on Election Day. Mitch Moxley, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for inflate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflate
Verb
  • That, alongside Newcastle’s desire to spread the fee over multiple years (whereas Como were going to pay in one lump sum), led to Milan increasing their asking price.
    Chris Waugh, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Milwaukee is not alone in seeking to implement or increase a wheel tax to raise local revenue.
    Vanessa Swales, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • They’re plugged into networks that carry influence and can accelerate advancement in business and career.
    Sarah Maokosy, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Once a scrappy research lab in San Francisco's Mission District, the company has since become more structured, enabling it to spin up cross-functional teams more quickly and accelerate the development and deployment cycles for products like Sora.
    MacKenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The government can raise revenues by increasing the payroll tax that funds Social Security or the income threshold to continue paying the tax or raise the full retirement age.
    Medora Lee, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
  • The nonprofit will provide scholarships and supportive services for families raising children with autism.
    Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Educational Freedom Accounts program significantly expand state taxpayer funding of student tuition and other costs related to private schools and some home-school expenses.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2025
  • This is a sister organization to the Heritage Foundation, the think tank behind Project 2025—a sweeping conservative policy blueprint aimed at reshaping the federal government by expanding presidential power, dismantling parts of the civil service, and rolling back regulations across agencies.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Bright nighttime skies are on the way in Michigan as the year's first full supermoon will rise in the sky Monday, astronomers say.
    Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 5 Oct. 2025
  • In six of the past seven seasons, the number of Englishmen playing in major leagues on the continent has risen.
    Liam Tharme, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Meanwhile, Brazil’s market share of Chinese soybean imports have ballooned to 71% as of last year, according to the ASA.
    Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2025
  • But when her therapist stopped taking insurance, Johansson's $30 copay ballooned to $275 a session overnight.
    Windsor Johnston, NPR, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The Strays arrived at the Fox with a swelling profile driven by relentless road work and a fan base that spans country, rock and Americana.
    Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 5 Oct. 2025
  • The protests then swelled to wider calls to stamp out corruption, repression and rising crime under President Dina Boluarte’s rule.
    Kara Fox, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The effect is to both collapse and distend time until all the souls in the book, most of them nameless anyway, exist at the same time, in the same place, forever.
    Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2025
  • The pup’s abdomen was firm and distended.
    Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Inflate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflate. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

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