inflate

English

Etymology

From Latin īnflātus, from the verb īnflō.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈfleɪt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪt
  

  

  Girl inflating a red balloon by blowing into it.

Verb

inflate (third-person singular simple present inflates, present participle inflating, simple past and past participle inflated)

1. (transitive) To enlarge an object by pushing air (or a gas) into it; to raise or expand abnormally

   You inflate a balloon by blowing air into it.

   • J. Scott of Amwell

     When passion's tumults in the bosom rise, / Inflate the features, and enrage the eyes.

2. (intransitive) To enlarge by filling with air (or a gas).

   The balloon will inflate if you blow into it.

3. (figuratively) To swell; to puff up.

   to inflate somebody with pride or vanity

   • Tennyson

     Inflate themselves with some insane delight.

Antonyms

• deflate

Derived terms

• inflated
• inflatingly

Related terms

• inflation

Translations

to enlarge the volume occupied by an object

• Catalan: inflar (ca), unflar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 充氣, 充气 (zh) (chōngqì)

• Finnish: täyttää (fi)
• French: gonfler (fr), enfler (fr)
• Friulian: enflâ, sglonfâ
• German: aufblasen (de), aufpumpen, aufblähen
• Greek: φουσκώνω (el) (fouskóno)
• Hungarian: felfúj (hu)
• Italian: enfiare (it)
• Japanese: 膨らませる (ふくらませる, fukuramaseru)

• Latin: inflo
• Macedonian: надувува (nadúvuva), дува (dúva)
• Portuguese: inchar (pt), inflar
• Romanian: umfla (ro)
• Russian: надувать (ru) impf (naduvátʹ), надуть (ru) pf (nadútʹ), наполнять (ru) impf (napolnjátʹ), наполнить (ru) (napólnitʹ) pf. (to fill with gas, air - га́зом, во́здухом), накачивать (ru) impf (nakáčivatʹ), накачать (ru) pf (nakačátʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: sèid
• Spanish: inflar (es), hinchar (es)

to enlarge a volume

• Catalan: inflar (ca), unflar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 膨脹, 膨胀 (zh) (péngzhàng)

• Finnish: täyttyä (fi)
• Greek: φουσκώνω (el) (fouskóno)
• Hungarian: felfúvódik (hu)

• Japanese: 膨らむ (ふくらむ, fukuramu)
• Korean: 부풀리다 (ko) (bupullida)
• Macedonian: надувува (nadúvuva), дува (dúva)
• Russian: надуваться (ru) impf (naduvátʹsja), надуться (ru) pf (nadútʹsja), наполняться (ru) impf (napolnjátʹsja), наполниться (ru) (napólnitʹsja) pf. (to be filled with gas, air - га́зом, во́здухом), накачиваться impf (nakáčivatʹsja), накачаться (ru) pf (nakačátʹsja)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Mandarin: 擴張, 扩张 kuò zhāng, 打气, 打氣 dǎ qì
• French: gonfler
• Korean: 부풀리다 (Bupullida)

• Spanish: inflar
• Swedish: blåsa upp

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Latin

Participle

īnflāte

1. vocative masculine singular of īnflātus