as in to impose
to cause someone to accept or experience something unwanted
The criminal inflicted a lifetime of distress on his unsuspecting victims.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of inflict
Few other states in the region seem very sorry at the reverses inflicted on the moribund regime of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
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Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
The success of this mission led to regular daylight bombing raids, which inflicted high casualties for U.S. air crews, according to historyplace.com.
—Sheila Yount, arkansasonline.com, 5 Jan. 2025
The storm flooded homes and inflicted major damage across the western coast of Florida, pushing up a massive surge of water throughout the Tampa Bay area before marching into Georgia and the Carolinas.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 28 Dec. 2024
But his policies have inflicted widespread hardship.
—María Magdalena Arréllaga, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for inflict 
Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
The success of this mission led to regular daylight bombing raids, which inflicted high casualties for U.S. air crews, according to historyplace.com.
—Sheila Yount, arkansasonline.com, 5 Jan. 2025
The storm flooded homes and inflicted major damage across the western coast of Florida, pushing up a massive surge of water throughout the Tampa Bay area before marching into Georgia and the Carolinas.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 28 Dec. 2024
But his policies have inflicted widespread hardship.
—María Magdalena Arréllaga, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for inflict
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflict
Verb
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By Jonathan Samuels published 31 December 2024 The Schloss Roxburghe is an imposing 19th-century country house, once owned by the Duke of Roxburghe, located among the rolling hills and winding rivers of the Scottish Borders.Jonathan Samuels, theweek, 31 Dec. 2024
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Most economists expect inflation to fall in 2025, though many caution that President-elect Donald Trump's threat to impose sweeping tariffs and deport unauthorized immigrants could cause consumer prices to rise.Anne Marie Lee, CBS News, 31 Dec. 2024
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The funding was made by California Jobs First as part of a larger pool of $600 million created by the state in 2021 to help create jobs and prevent a wave of property acquisitions by speculative investors.Pat Maio, Orange County Register, 15 Jan. 2025
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AGNs are extremely bright due to the turbulence created in accretion disks by the incredible gravitational influence of supermassive black holes with masses equivalent to millions or billions of suns.Robert Lea, Space.com, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Supreme Court Rulings That Could Change America In 2025 By Seth A. Schachner Managing Director, Strat Americas 1 While many Americans took a holiday break this weekend, President-elect Donald Trump's legal team suddenly asked the U.S. Supreme Court to delay a recent U.S. law forcing TikTok's sale.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025
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Police in riot gear used tear gas to force protesters away from the White House; then Trump was escorted to the nearby church along with several administration officials.David Sterling Brown, The Conversation, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
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And both franchises have asked the NHL to bring an outdoor game — or two, in this case — to the Sunshine State for many years.Tim Reynolds, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2025
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The boat was spotted off the island of Lanzarote on Monday as Spain marked the Epiphany holiday, also known as Three Kings Day, meant to honor the day the three wise men brought gifts to the baby Jesus, rescuers said.Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 9 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near inflict
Cite this Entry
“Inflict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflict. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
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