inflicts

verb

present tense third-person singular of inflict
as in imposes
to cause someone to accept or experience something unwanted The criminal inflicted a lifetime of distress on his unsuspecting victims.

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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 inflicts That’s because of the massive opportunity cost such dollarless drudgery inflicts. — New Atlas, 20 Oct. 2026 The betrayal Murray inflicts on Tremblay’s Kaczynski is compelling, even as the film presses it into service as an explanation for every horror that followed. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026 The more suffering Russia inflicts on Ukrainian civilians, the more Europe invests in Ukraine’s defense and its own. — Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2026 If a deepfake inflicts commercial damage or misleads consumers, businesses can pursue civil claims for defamation or false light, alongside federal trademark suits under the Lanham Act. — Allyson Kapin, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 In the end, the young cockroaches proved so resilient because Modi’s regime of control had no punishment or humiliation to threaten them with beyond what the system already inflicts on them every day. — Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026 The media usually get Black femicide wrong Another problem surrounding intimate partner homicide inflicts its harms after death. — Sativa Banks, The Conversation, 4 June 2026 Instead of providing convenience, services and consumption, the regime only inflicts repression, intrusion and censorship. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 16 May 2026 Boiling water acts as a contact herbicide that inflicts thermal shock on the weeds' plant cells. — David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 16 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflicts
  1. imposes
  2. creates
  3. brings
Verb
  • Florida law imposes limits on direct contributions to state candidates but generally allows political committees to accept unlimited contributions, subject to applicable reporting and other legal requirements.
    — Luisa Yanez, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Israel regularly imposes restrictions on movement across the Palestinian occupied territory with some 925 checkpoints, roadblocks, earth mounds and other barriers.
    — Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of imposes
Verb
  • This creates a compounding cycle of high-cost debt where the business borrows money strictly to service existing commercial obligations, effectively pulling the operation underwater.
    — Nathan Mor, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • To see how this spread creates randomness throughout the world, consider an ordinary coin-flip experiment again.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of creates
Verb
  • The program brings aircraft developers and public agencies together to test operations before wider deployment.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Eventually the inevitability of gravity brings them close enough to suddenly merge, sending out a tremendous blast of matter and energy that can outshine the sun by a factor of many billions, though just for the briefest fraction of a second.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of brings

Browse Nearby Words

inflicting
inflicts
inflow
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Cite this Entry

“Inflicts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflicts. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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