as in to impose
to cause someone to accept or experience something unwanted
The criminal inflicted a lifetime of distress on his unsuspecting victims.
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Recent Examples of inflict
That no one should be able to inflict such damage upon the country.
—
Dan Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
No parents want to inflict emotional harm on their children, which is why most people strenuously avoid even getting snippy with their parents in front of the kids—and the guilt when an argument does break out can be immense.
—Sara Rowe Mount, Parents, 30 Oct. 2025
Attorneys filed charges of driving under the influence causing injury with enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury in the crash.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Both Indian and Pakistani users on social media shared fake satellite imagery to suggest their respective countries’ militaries had inflicted more damage than what otherwise transpired.
—Brady Africk, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inflict
Dan Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
No parents want to inflict emotional harm on their children, which is why most people strenuously avoid even getting snippy with their parents in front of the kids—and the guilt when an argument does break out can be immense.
—Sara Rowe Mount, Parents, 30 Oct. 2025
Attorneys filed charges of driving under the influence causing injury with enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury in the crash.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Both Indian and Pakistani users on social media shared fake satellite imagery to suggest their respective countries’ militaries had inflicted more damage than what otherwise transpired.
—Brady Africk, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inflict
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflict
Verb
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The rub is that mandatory gratuities, the 15% to 20% that restaurants often impose on parties of six people or more, aren’t eligible for the deduction, a disappointment to the restaurant and foodservice industry, which held out hope for a different outcome.—
Cheryl Winokur Munk,
CNBC,
8 Nov. 2025
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Scenes start, jarringly, without introduction or fanfare, as though we’ve been vaulted into the action; the plot resists all attempts by the viewer to impose any kind of order.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The species has an adhesive plate on its head that helps to create a kind of vacuum seal, allowing the fish to grab a whale and hang on for the ride.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
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Denver International Airport is working to fill in the gap, creating a food pantry for its federal employees and asking the FAA for permission to use the airport's revenue to pay for controllers' wages.—
JOSH FUNK,
Arkansas Online,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The system adapts to tone and intent without forcing app switching or blank-page starts.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Jan. 2026
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She and other members of both houses and both parties were evacuated for their safety for several hours as rioters forced their way into the Capitol that day.—
David Staats,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The wins over Villa and Madrid were achieved with Andy Robertson restored at left-back, at the expense of new signing Milos Kerkez, and with Dominik Szoboszlai bringing more balance and physical presence by reprising last season’s advanced-midfield role.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
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The discovery pipeline is reinforced by EFP’s Future Frames — in partnership with Karlovy Vary and spun out to Hamburg and Seville — bringing young helmers into the SEFF ecosystem with shorts spotlights and talent meetings.—
Emiliano De Pablos,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inflict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflict. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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