inflates

verb

present tense third-person singular of inflate
1
as in increases
to make greater in size, amount, or number Check that you have inflated your tires to the recommended pressure. Some sellers were inflating their prices by as much as 500 per cent.

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2
as in accelerates
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number Airbags are designed to inflate automatically on impact.

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Dissimilar Words

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 inflates But opting to keep school open during heavy snow means a greater chance of parents keeping their kids home, which inflates chronic absenteeism rates. — Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Aug. 2026 Sure, training camp always inflates the reputations of a receiver who can win a 50-50 ball against second-string cornerbacks. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026 This is commonly done with a blood pressure cuff that inflates around your arm to block blood flow. — Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 6 Aug. 2026 Adverse birth outcomes are among the most common claims against physicians in medical-malpractice lawsuits, and awarded judgments can be very high, which inflates the liability-insurance premiums that doctors must pay. — Keith Humphreys, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026 The Portal Outdoors Nomis One finds its way to that category with a split-body design that carries in the trunk then inflates and hoists onto the roof or pickup truck bed in about 10 minutes. — New Atlas, 27 July 2026 This disparity incentivizes hospital consolidation, inflates costs for taxpayers and beneficiaries, and distorts care delivery. — Richard Menger Md Mpa, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 It’s made of strong, tear-resistant nylon and inflates manually using about nine breaths. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026 The legislation further inflates ICE’s usual $10 billion annual budget. — Chad De Guzman, Time, 10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflates
  1. increases
  2. accelerates
  3. raises
  4. expands
  5. rises
  6. swells
Verb
  • Virgo August 23 – September 22 Your energy increases with a small tweak to your routine.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 26 Aug. 2026
  • August 23 – September 22 Your energy increases with a small tweak to your routine.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of increases
Verb
  • Below that threshold, operating the observatory becomes increasingly difficult and its descent accelerates, NASA officials said in the statement.
    — Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The fix accelerates that to two years with just a 5% discount.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of accelerates
Verb
  • For many in Canada, the dispute raises concerns about American interference with Canada’s national identity.
    — Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Many workers are watching to see if lawmakers take action to finance raises.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of raises
Verb
  • The event comes as China expands its robotics industry and competes to establish leadership in humanoid and autonomous machines, with more than 2,000 robots from 16 countries also taking part in the 2026 World Humanoid Robot Games.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Now about 5½ months old, Crimson is thriving on three legs, quickly returning to playful, curious cub behavior as the Oakland Zoo expands its track record of rescuing orphaned mountain lions.
    — Jasmine Mendez Follow, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of expands
Verb
  • The damage to the sport, in terms of lost revenues and fan disengagement, rises the more games that are missed.
    — Evan Drellich, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • That stored energy could then be recovered when electricity demand rises.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of rises
Verb
  • While the hurricane is not expected to make landfall, swells created by the hurricane could affect the coast of southwest Mexico and Baja California, as well as Southern California, per the National Hurricane Center.
    — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
  • While Karina was expected to stay well away from land, swells from the storm were likely to cause dangerous surf and rip current conditions along parts of southwest Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula, the hurricane center said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of swells

Browse Nearby Words

inflated
inflates
inflating
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Cite this Entry

“Inflates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflates. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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