deflate

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word deflate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of deflate are compress, condense, constrict, contract, and shrink. While all these words mean "to decrease in bulk or volume," deflate implies a contracting by reducing the internal pressure of contained air or gas.

deflate the balloon

When might compress be a better fit than deflate?

The words compress and deflate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, compress implies a pressing into a small compass and definite shape usually against resistance.

compressed cotton into bales

When is it sensible to use condense instead of deflate?

While in some cases nearly identical to deflate, condense implies a reducing of something homogeneous to greater compactness without significant loss of content.

condense the essay into a paragraph

In what contexts can constrict take the place of deflate?

In some situations, the words constrict and deflate are roughly equivalent. However, constrict implies a tightening that reduces diameter.

the throat is constricted by a tight collar

When is contract a more appropriate choice than deflate?

The meanings of contract and deflate largely overlap; however, contract applies to a drawing together of surfaces or particles or a reduction of area or length.

caused her muscles to contract

When would shrink be a good substitute for deflate?

The words shrink and deflate can be used in similar contexts, but shrink implies a contracting or a loss of material and stresses a falling short of original dimensions.

the sweater will shrink when washed

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 deflate There have been plenty of other deflating losses too, and it has recently been reported by SPORT that President Florentino Perez and the Italian will meet for a talk between the Champions League final in Munich on May 31 and the Club World Cup which kicks off in the United States a fortnight later. Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025 The Thunder blitzed the Lakers in the final six minutes, pulling away for what ended up looking like an easy win, the atmosphere clearly deflated from Los Angeles’ perspective. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2025 There was the double-bang bubble buzzer-beater delivered to the Clippers, the smirking, soul-deflating chaos put upon the Suns, the home-court heroics in Game 2 of the conference finals versus the Timberwolves. Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025 Their pads look deflated compared to the life rafts strapped to goalies today, the ones that make stringy 6-foot-4 bean poles look like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for deflate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflate
Verb
  • Tommy walks through the burning town and finds Maria, collapsing into her on Main Street, which is littered with dead, human and infected both.
    Sara Netzley, EW.com, 21 Apr. 2025
  • But, as ballots were being counted, government authorities announced that the electoral system had collapsed.
    Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The Israeli strategy, set out by Defense Minister Israel Katz, is to empty large parts of Gaza and treat anyone staying behind as a combatant.
    Tim Lister and Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2025
  • On Tuesday night, the crew emptied several of them, firing at Russian drones streaking toward Odesa and its outskirts.
    Constant Méheut, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The goal of this prescribed burn is to decrease the existing fire hazard and to prevent and reduce the impact of future fires in the area.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Traditional office leasing implies maintainable overheads, upkeep costs and long-term financial commitments; modular offices eliminate them and reduce construction costs by as much as 30%.
    Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Critics are concerned Trump's latest move could allow the administration to purge nonpartisan career officials and replace them with political loyalists, undermining the independence of the federal workforce.
    Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025
  • The site goes on to advance the theory that COVID-19 originated in a Wuhan lab and undermines Trump’s political rivals like Joe Biden and Andrew Cuomo.
    Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The song is deliberately compressed to sound like a Phil Spector track, and a video John made for the Gilbert O’Sullivan Show in 1973 features a rare cameo from Bernie mimicking Ray Cooper on bells.
    Shana Naomi Krochmal, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Many of them focus on radically new technologies for heating and compressing plasmas, or fusing unusual combinations of isotopes.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Payne drained a 3-pointer the next time down the floor to tie the game, 98-98.
    Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2025
  • However, much of this rain will eventually still drain down across the lower Mississippi River Valley, keeping the Mississippi and other nearby rivers in the region elevated for at least the next several days.
    Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The hospital declined to say whether Ikner was one of their patients.
    Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2025
  • County officials declined to comment on the civil lawsuit.
    USA Today, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Agreeing to a pick swap with the Lynx weakened the value of the pick that the Sky traded away.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
  • One by one, the sectors defect, and, eventually, the leader may weaken and their government may fall.
    Julia Angwin, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Deflate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflate. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

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