How to Use inflict in a Sentence

inflict

verb
  • These insects are capable of inflicting a painful sting.
  • Now, some are voicing fears that Russians may inflict retribution on the troops.
    Celina Tebor, USA TODAY, 20 May 2022
  • But a drastic increase in the rate of attacks has yet to inflict close to a corresponding level of damage.
    Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 2 June 2022
  • Russia's forces inflict death and destruction on Ukrainian soil every day.
    Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 18 May 2022
  • Oftentimes, older children were forced to inflict punishment on their younger classmates.
    Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 25 Oct. 2024
  • Even with its setbacks, Russia continues to inflict death and destruction across Ukraine.
    Compiled Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 16 May 2022
  • Those messages are then closed off to outsiders, who might be able to spot the warning signs that a troubled individual might be about to inflict harm on themselves and others.
    Naomi Nix and Cat Zakrzewski, Anchorage Daily News, 27 May 2022
  • Environmentalists and federal agencies had previously cited the harm that the mine would inflict on the wetlands.
    Hamza Shaban, Washington Post, 4 June 2022
  • Over the course of 30 years the United States has inflicted grave damage on Iraq.
    Steven Simon and Adam Weinstein, Foreign Affairs, 27 Sep. 2023
  • Michael Myers is about to inflict on not just Laurie Strode, but the world.
    Gwen Ihnat, EW.com, 5 Oct. 2022
  • Not when the Bucs defense was there to inflict the finishing blows.
    Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY, 18 Sep. 2022
  • It’s built around guns, knives, fists and pure will: anything that can inflict instant death.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 13 Mar. 2023
  • And so, to shut down the government would inflict pain on the American people.
    Megan Barnes, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2023
  • Georgia inflicted the first loss, with Texas A&M dealing out the next four.
    Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 25 Aug. 2023
  • For Israel, the onslaught is all downstream of the horror inflicted by Hamas on Oct. 7.
    Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2023
  • But the rebound remains small compared to the scale of the losses inflicted in recent days.
    Maureen Farrell, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2023
  • Tonight, Davis was only the enemy of the state, on a mission to inflict memorable harm.
    Tyler R. Tynes, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2023
  • Frigid air that could inflict frostbite in ten minutes.
    Emmanuel Felton, Washington Post, 24 Dec. 2022
  • No one is planning to inflict massive biocide like Thanos in the Marvel Avengers films.
    Matthew Cobb, Scientific American, 13 Jan. 2023
  • Kevin Durant, who averages 29 points per game, will look to inflict more damage on the Celtics.
    Matt Boecker | Catena Media, oregonlive, 1 Feb. 2023
  • The suspect did manage to inflict a severe bite on one of the officers, police said.
    Landon Mion, Fox News, 18 Aug. 2024
  • But this is a grimmer kind of boy’s book, less fit for a classroom but more candid about the damage adults inflict on children.
    Mark Athitakis, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2023
  • Faludi is wary of any force that would dictate what women do with their bodies, and alert to the harm such dictates can inflict.
    Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 21 July 2022
  • On May 2, the rider died of the injuries inflicted in the accident and was pronounced deceased.
    Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 6 May 2024
  • Garby said the injuries inflicted on Brosso and Bernas were reflected in some of the images Miller viewed.
    Lane Sainty, The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2023
  • Her mother mixed the dye in spray bottles once filled with cleaning supplies, which the girl, now the woman, used to inflict garish patterns on the yard.
    Jessi Jezewska Stevens, Harper’s Magazine , 28 Sep. 2022
  • Shortly after Wednesday’s barrage, Yevhen pulled out his iPhone to play a video from the day before of the damage the howitzers can inflict.
    Anastacia Galouchka, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2022
  • The key for union leaders would be to find the strategy that will inflict the most pain on the company while doing the least damage to the union's $825 million strike fund.
    Jamie L. Lareau, The Courier-Journal, 23 Aug. 2023
  • But if a special counsel must be inflicted, David Weiss is uniquely unfit for the job.
    William McGurn, WSJ, 21 Aug. 2023
  • But the unspeakable violence inflicted on this community has spurred a very public purpose for the family: bringing awareness to traumatic brain injuries among military members and a call to action for continued research.
    Brenda Breslauer, NBC News, 23 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inflict.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: