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.
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2
as in accelerating
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
Airbags are designed to inflate automatically on impact.
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Recent Examples of inflating
Didn’t the Knicks completely turn the tables on his score-inflating strategy?
—
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 27 May 2026
The complaint alleges the city is unlawfully inflating the assessed value, and taxes, of commercial properties that file abatements.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 26 May 2026
That last point separates Hyperliquid from a long list of earlier crypto projects, which manufactured the appearance of activity by paying users in their own inflating token.
—Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Maddox Gallery, which has spaces in London and Dubai, has been accused of inflating the value of artworks used as collateral for loans.
—George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 19 May 2026
Both actors mimed inflating like balloons.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
In Ohio and Texas, operators were caught billing for care provided to dead patients, inflating services and forging physician signatures to fabricate records when auditors sought proof.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2026
From his earliest days as an agent, Meredith proudly flouted industry convention while inflating his own reputation and padding his bank account.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
During his deposition, Musk was called out for inflating his early contributions to OpenAI.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 27 Apr. 2026
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 27 May 2026
The complaint alleges the city is unlawfully inflating the assessed value, and taxes, of commercial properties that file abatements.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 26 May 2026
That last point separates Hyperliquid from a long list of earlier crypto projects, which manufactured the appearance of activity by paying users in their own inflating token.
—Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Maddox Gallery, which has spaces in London and Dubai, has been accused of inflating the value of artworks used as collateral for loans.
—George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 19 May 2026
Both actors mimed inflating like balloons.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
In Ohio and Texas, operators were caught billing for care provided to dead patients, inflating services and forging physician signatures to fabricate records when auditors sought proof.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2026
From his earliest days as an agent, Meredith proudly flouted industry convention while inflating his own reputation and padding his bank account.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
During his deposition, Musk was called out for inflating his early contributions to OpenAI.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflating
Verb
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The pacemaker transformed cardiac medicine by dramatically increasing survival rates for patients with arrhythmias and heart block, becoming one of the most important life-saving medical technologies ever created.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
28 May 2026
-
Rain and storm chances are increasing in the afternoon.—
Garfield Hylton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Instead of retreating from global trade, many small and mid-sized companies are leaning in and even accelerating global expansion.—
Greg Hewitt,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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As management teams navigate geopolitical turbulence, persistent inflation, and accelerating AI adoption, large companies are turning increasingly to partnerships with smaller firms — often through corporate venture arrangements.—
Serguei Netessine,
Fortune,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
He was recently asked about raising taxes on the rich.—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
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Last year’s conference-final loss to the Florida Panthers — an ugly result for an overmatched roster that had spent the regular season outkicking its coverage, maximizing its performance and raising expectations to an unreasonable level — is on that ledger, too.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Verb
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That could result in a BLEVE, or boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion, which would have caused widespread damage and released toxic material into the air.—
Iris Kwok,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2026
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Shutto, a luxury shuttle service, is expanding into Dallas ahead of the tournament.—
Amelia Mugavero,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Verb
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The efforts highlight Son’s growing ambitions to secure data center bases in major locations across the globe as AI companies race to acquire sufficient computing power and meet rising demand for their services.—
Benoit Berthelot,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
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On the other hand, when prices are high and rising, voters may not particularly care about things like Talarico's meat consumption, says Cliff Walker, who works at a Texas progressive strategy firm.—
Danielle Kurtzleben,
NPR,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
People may experience redness, swelling and little bumps on the inside of the eyelids.—
Neelam Patadia,
The Conversation,
27 May 2026
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Officers saw bleeding from her eyebrow, redness and swelling on the top of her head and a bite mark on her cheek.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Self said there’s a lot of uncertainty among schools in the Big 12, SEC, Big Ten and ACC because budgets are ballooning past the revenue-share distribution those programs are allotted by their schools.—
CJ Moore,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
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This is particularly felt in restaurants, where staff shortages and frequent turnover have pushed fast-food businesses to turn to AI systems and robots in an effort to reduce labor costs, ballooning global restaurant automation into a $28 billion market this year.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
Verb
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The feeling of jumping into the spring all sweaty and sore was magnificent.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2026
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Meanwhile, Dell Technologies was right behind, jumping 31% after reporting its strongest sales growth since 2018.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inflating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflating. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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