Inflate Definition

ĭn-flāt

inflated, inflates, inflating

verb

inflated, inflates, inflating

To blow full or swell out as with air or gas; distend; expand; dilate.

Webster's New World

To raise in spirits; make proud or elated.

Webster's New World

To fill with pride; aggrandize.

Positive reviews that inflated the actor's ego.

American Heritage

To increase or raise beyond what is normal or valid.

Webster's New World

To represent as greater or more important than is in fact the case.

Inflated the box office receipts to mislead the investors.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Origin of Inflate

Middle English inflaten from Latin īnflāre īnflāt- in- in in–² flāre to blow bhlē- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From Latin īnflātus, from the verb īnflō.

From Wiktionary