1
as in increases
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.
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2
as in accelerates
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
Airbags are designed to inflate automatically on impact.
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Recent Examples of inflates
That determination is sent back to the device, which inflates or deflates balloons with air to assist in raising or lowering the arm.
—
Mack Degeurin Aug 21, Popular Science, 21 Aug. 2025
Mack Degeurin Aug 21, Popular Science, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflates
Verb
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And the alloy wheels are an inch smaller, which increases the range to 288 miles (464 km).—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
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Every decision either increases your freedom or decreases it.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Productive patience accelerates results in the long run.—
Yasir Hashmi,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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And by streamlining the NEPA permitting process, OBBBA also accelerates the construction of mines, oil and gas wells, and power plants that produce cheap and reliable energy required for reindustrialization.—
Richard Stern,
Boston Herald,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For Little, this raises even more questions.—
Sarah Durn,
Popular Science,
11 Sep. 2025
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In July, a geologist warned that an ongoing cluster of smaller earthquakes near the Nicobar Islands could signal a volcanic eruption in the Andaman Sea, which raises fears of another tsunami.—
M. Rajshekhar,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Either way, what a great result that expands theatrical audiences.—
Nancy Tartaglione,
Deadline,
14 Sep. 2025
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While Quark primarily operates in the polar regions, the company expands to subpolar destinations during the shoulder seasons, before the fleet repositions to the other side of the globe.—
Stefanie Waldek,
AFAR Media,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The probability of lightning strikes rises as a thunderstorm approaches and peaks when the storm is directly above.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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If inflation rises, the Fed could increase interest rates in an attempt to slow the economy.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Each October, when the river swells with rainwater, workers pause, move their tools and wares away, and only return once the waters recede.—
Faye Bradley,
CNN Money,
28 Aug. 2025
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The difference between a story that swells into something bigger than the writer or collapses when the pen is no longer in their hand.—
Ken Polk,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inflates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflates. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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