1
as in increasing
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
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
2
as in accelerating
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
Airbags are designed to inflate automatically on impact.
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 inflating
Or the time he was found liable for fraudulently inflating the value of his real estate holdings?
—
Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
Responding to student complaints, professors have been slashing homework assignments, routinely extending deadlines and (most prominently) inflating grades.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
In another instance, the owners are accused of billing a family for a funeral that did not happen and inflating costs for transportation and cremation listed on the general price list, the complaint said.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Dynamic headroom helps protect resilience without permanently inflating spend.
—Ben Ofiri, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
And perhaps worst of all, inflating every slight into oppression cheapens true injustice.
—Jonathan Alpert, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
With the end of the exemption, this price pressure will ease, inflating overall prices.
—Neale Mahoney, Time, 28 Aug. 2025
Still, any alleged misconduct on her part seems almost as reprehensible as the bank fraud that led to Trump’s conviction for inflating the value of his assets to obtain favorable loan and insurance rates.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2025
In March last year, Hui was barred from the securities market for life and fined 47 million yuan after the regulator accused the group’s flagship unit of inflating results, securities fraud and failing to make timely disclosures.
—Reuters, NBC news, 25 Aug. 2025
Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
Responding to student complaints, professors have been slashing homework assignments, routinely extending deadlines and (most prominently) inflating grades.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
In another instance, the owners are accused of billing a family for a funeral that did not happen and inflating costs for transportation and cremation listed on the general price list, the complaint said.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Dynamic headroom helps protect resilience without permanently inflating spend.
—Ben Ofiri, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
And perhaps worst of all, inflating every slight into oppression cheapens true injustice.
—Jonathan Alpert, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
With the end of the exemption, this price pressure will ease, inflating overall prices.
—Neale Mahoney, Time, 28 Aug. 2025
Still, any alleged misconduct on her part seems almost as reprehensible as the bank fraud that led to Trump’s conviction for inflating the value of his assets to obtain favorable loan and insurance rates.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2025
In March last year, Hui was barred from the securities market for life and fined 47 million yuan after the regulator accused the group’s flagship unit of inflating results, securities fraud and failing to make timely disclosures.
—Reuters, NBC news, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflating
Verb
-
By inserting an extra biochemical cycle into a model plant, the researchers boosted growth, seed yield, and fat production without increasing water demand.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
-
An increasing number of boys are lonely, isolated and confused, wrestling with the aftermath of the #MeToo movement and the expectations of rigid masculinity, which has been widely characterized as toxic.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
What was once a rapidly accelerating movement now faces significant headwinds, with both external and internal pressures threatening to stall progress.—
Heather V. MacArthur,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
This innovative installation may hold one of the keys to accelerating a transition away from fossil fuels that scientists say is necessary if the world is to avoid the worst effects of climate change.—
Jeff Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Among them were countless era-defining releases that are still among the best movies ever made—of any genre—from the haunting Rebecca to the gripping Rear Window, and the ravishing Vertigo to the hair-raising Psycho.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
13 Sep. 2025
-
There were times when raising kids, building careers, and paying bills felt overwhelming.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Now the Icon Class family is expanding, with three equally hefty sister ships.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
-
An artisan pizzeria with South Beach roots is expanding across the state.—
Jason Dill,
Miami Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Friar also called attention to compute constraints caused by ballooning AI demands, which have led the company to go beyond its partnership with Microsoft and reach deals with Oracle, Coreweave and others.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Rising mortgage rates have further burdened buyers, with monthly payments ballooning beyond reach for many.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Both the governor and the secretary listed a combination of lower market prices for farm products plus rising fertilizer, machinery and labor costs as a severe squeeze on the farm economy.—
Cristina LaRue,
Arkansas Online,
16 Sep. 2025
-
China’s economy showed further signs of weakness last month, with key data Monday revealing factory output and consumption rising at their weakest pace for around a year.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The audio-streaming platform has amassed a sizable free cash flow due to its strong revenue growth, a figure that has been boosted by the company's swelling active user base in recent financial quarters.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
12 Sep. 2025
-
For this test, a doctor inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into your rectum to feel for swelling, bleeding, and any prostate abnormalities.—
Mark Gurarie,
Health,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
EDTIn a press conference, authorities shared security camera footage of the gunman running across a roof and jumping down from a building before leaving the Utah Valley University campus.—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The footage showed the person running across the roof of one of the university’s buildings, before jumping down and escaping the scene.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inflating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflating. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share