inflate B2 Topic:Cause, Change & Process US /ɪnˈflæɪt/ UK /ɪnˈfleɪt/ See IPA manual Freq #26353 Meanings 1 verb To fill something with air or gas so that it becomes bigger. He used a pump to inflate the bicycle tires. 2 verb To make something seem larger, better, or more important than it really is. The company inflated its sales figures to impress investors. 3 verb To cause prices to rise, often by increasing the amount of money available. Printing too much money can inflate the economy. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to fill something with air... blow up 2 verb · to make something seem... amplifyexaggerateexpand ↔ Opposites deflate Word family Forms inflatableinflateableinflatedinflatesinflating Derived forms disinflatehyperinflateinflatabilityinflatableinflate-a-dateinflatedinflaterinflatinglyinflatinoinflatonmisinflateoverinflate Related forms inflation Etymology AI details From Latin īnflātus, perfect passive participle of īnflō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of inblow. *bʰleh₁- Proto-Indo-European View etymology graph -> Topics Cause, Change & Process Actions & Processes External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # inflate **Type:** Word **Level:** B2 **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /ɪnˈflæɪt/ **IPA (UK):** /ɪnˈfleɪt/ **Frequency rank:** 26353 ## Meanings 1. To fill something with air or gas so that it becomes bigger. 2. To make something seem larger, better, or more important than it really is. 3. To cause prices to rise, often by increasing the amount of money available. ## Examples - He used a pump to inflate the bicycle tires. - The company inflated its sales figures to impress investors. - Printing too much money can inflate the economy. ## Antonyms - deflate ## Derived Forms - disinflate - hyperinflate - inflatability - inflatable - inflate-a-date - inflated - inflater - inflatingly - inflatino - inflaton - misinflate - overinflate ## Related Forms - inflation ## Roots and Affixes - Root: *bʰleh₁- ## Etymology From Latin īnflātus, perfect passive participle of īnflō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of inblow. ## AI Etymology Inflate comes from Latin īnflātus, perfect passive participle of īnflō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of inblow. The historical line also includes *bʰleh₁-. ## Topics - Cause, Change & Process - Actions & Processes markdown