INFLATING Synonyms: 105 Similar and Opposite Words

inflating

verb

present participle of inflate

as in increasing

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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Dissimilar Words

as in accelerating

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 inflating The guideline seeks to avoid clubs inflating their bottom lines through what the governing body terms ‘player exchange transactions’. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 The Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court convicted Hui, also known as Xu Jiayin, and Evergrande of engaged in large-scale financial fraud in inflating the group’s assets and concealing its liabilities. — ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026 This goes way beyond the fact Trump is the only president found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and liable for fraudulently inflating the value of his assets to defraud banks and insurers. — Max Taves, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026 Some argued that institutional investors were pushing owner-occupants out of the market and inflating home prices. — Diana Olick, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2026 According to Lu, Bo became increasingly suspicious that Wang, the project manager, had stolen from him by inflating construction costs. — Hailey Wang, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026 But the company’s meteoric rise ground to a halt after a former Outcome analyst contacted the Wall Street Journal with allegations that the company was misleading pharmaceutical companies and inflating data. — Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026 One engineer admitted to inflating usage after a performance review dinged them for not using AI enough. — Vinay Kuruvila, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 But he has been accused of inflating his role in some projects and demonstrating a self-confidence that borders on cockiness. — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflating

Verb

Qantas said demand for international travel remained strong, with both Qantas and its low-cost carrier Jetstar increasing capacity and unit revenue, although higher fuel costs weighed on international earnings.

— Jenny Lee, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
His foundation is aiming to spend $200 billion by 2045 with an increasing focus on AI.

— Reuters, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of increasing

Verb

That would mean accelerating from Indonesia's roughly 5% decade-long growth average while keeping the deficit below its 3% statutory ceiling.

— Celestine Iyer, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
For Kraft Heinz, that’s accelerating a shift already underway in Europe toward shorter ingredient lists, smaller portions, and more high-protein products.

— Sam Birchall, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of accelerating

Verb

Defense attorneys in both cases argued that the defendants’ intent was in question, raising in argument the possibility that their clients were not trying to cause serious bodily injury or death.

— Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026
Enacting a solution is liable to be a significant political battle, likely involving cutting benefits for some Americans or raising taxes on higher earners, or both.

— Ashley Lopez, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of raising

Verb

Axel Springer is expanding in the Middle East, joining a growing number of Western publishers with an editorial presence in the region — and testing a key pillar of its editorial beliefs.

— Max Tani, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Mamdani’s signature 2-K program is scheduled to launch this fall with 2,000 students in select school districts, with the goal of expanding citywide over four years.

— Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of expanding

Verb

That mix of showers and storms continue for the rest of the week, ramping up over the weekend, with wet weather chances swelling to 60% Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

— Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
The condition may have caused pain and produced a deformation or swelling on her chest.

— Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of swelling

Verb

Such is the fate that befalls Meta, whose shares fell as much as 10% in after-hours trading Wednesday after the company missed earnings due to costs ballooning 55% (Meta’s stock later recovered some ground and was down 7%).

— Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 30 July 2026
So far there’s no sign of that, and time is running out, although to its credit the EU, with its Industrial Accelerator Act, wants urgent action to save local automakers from succumbing to ballooning Chinese sales.

— Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of ballooning

Verb

Fellow cybersecurity firm Okta also reported strong results after the bell, with shares jumping roughly 20% following a raise in guidance.

— Jeff Marks, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
But the president's endorsement didn't stop a number of other Republicans from jumping into the race, including Norman.

— Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of jumping

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

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Synonyms of inflating

verb

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