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   inflate

   /ɪnˈfleɪt/

   verb

   • 1. fill (a balloon, tyre, or other expandable structure) with air or gas so that it becomes distended: "never use an air line on a garage forecourt to inflate your tyres"
   • ▪ become distended with air or gas: "the mattress inflated" Similar blow upfill with airaeratefill uppuff uppuff outpump updilatedistendswellOpposite deflate
   • 2. increase (something) by a large or excessive amount: "objectives should be clearly set out so as not to duplicate work and inflate costs" Similar increaseraiseput upboostescalatestep upinformal:hike upjack upbump upOpposite decreasedepress
   • ▪ exaggerate: "numbers have been grossly inflated by the local press" Similar exaggeratemagnifypump upoverplayoverstatedramatizeelaborateenhanceembellishtouch upblow upblow up out of all proportionincreaseextendamplifyaugmentexpandintensifyswellstretch the truthinformal:make a big thing out ofOpposite play downunderstate
   • 3. bring about inflation of (a currency) or in (an economy): "he has inflated the money supply to allow companies to continue in their old ways"

   Word Origin late Middle English: from Latin inflat- ‘blown into’, from the verb inflare, from in- ‘into’ + flare ‘to blow’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. inflater noun

   Scrabble Points: 10

   • I

     1

   • N

     1

   • F

     4

   • L

     1

   • A

     1

   • T

     1

   • E

     1

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