deflate

verb

de·​flate di-ˈflāt  ˌdē- 

deflated; deflating

transitive verb

1

: to release air or gas from

deflate a tire

2

: to reduce in size, importance, or effectiveness

deflate his ego with cutting remarks

3

: to reduce (a price level) or cause (a volume of credit) to contract

intransitive verb

: to lose firmness through or as if through the escape of contained gas

deflator noun

or less commonly deflater

di-ˈflā-tər 

ˌdē-

Choose the Right Synonym for deflate

contract, shrink, condense, compress, constrict, deflate mean to decrease in bulk or volume.

contract applies to a drawing together of surfaces or particles or a reduction of area or length.

caused her muscles to contract

shrink implies a contracting or a loss of material and stresses a falling short of original dimensions.

the sweater will shrink when washed

condense implies a reducing of something homogeneous to greater compactness without significant loss of content.

condense the essay into a paragraph

compress implies a pressing into a small compass and definite shape usually against resistance.

compressed cotton into bales

constrict implies a tightening that reduces diameter.

the throat is constricted by a tight collar

deflate implies a contracting by reducing the internal pressure of contained air or gas.

deflate the balloon

Examples of deflate in a Sentence

The birthday balloons deflated after a few days.

The harsh criticism left him utterly deflated.

an insult that would deflate their egos

He has worked to deflate popular myths about investing.

Deflated prices mean that farmers are getting less for their products.

Recent Examples on the Web

Nikola Jokić had a deflating seven giveaways in the Nuggets’ Game 2 loss, but he’s tallied just six total in his last three games. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 1 May 2025

The deflating loss dropped Miami to fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. —Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2025

Louise looks small and deflated when Dom picks her up outside the police station the next day. —Sara Netzley, EW.com, 24 Apr. 2025

But Musk's activities with DOGE — including cutting tens of thousands of federal workers and accessing taxpayers' personal data — have alienated some consumers and sparked protests across the globe, causing the stock price to deflate. —Anne Marie D. Lee, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

de- + -flate (as in inflate)

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for deflate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

Kids Definition

deflate

verb

de·​flate di-ˈflāt  ˈdē- 

deflated; deflating

1

: to release air or gas from

2

: to cause to move from a higher to a lower level : reduce from a state of inflation

deflate the national economy

3

: to become deflated : collapse

deflator

-ˈflāt-ər

noun