1
as in collapses
to become smaller in size or volume due to loss of contents
We kept her birthday decorations up until the balloons started deflating.
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2
as in empties
to make smaller in size or volume by removing the contents
Please deflate the air mattress and fold it up before you leave.
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3
as in reduces
to make or become lower in amount or value
The excess supply deflated prices. The company's stock has deflated.
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4
as in undermines
to cause to lose force or effectiveness
Her cutting remark deflated his ego. The lawsuit deflated their hopes for a quick resolution.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deflates
After portraying Alabaster, down to his pearly-white surname, as the apotheosis of white male villainy, Cash deflates him by arguing, essentially, #NotAllMen.
—
Malavika Kannan, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2026
But Grande’s conceited blonde bubblehead gains in stature here as Glinda assumes statesmanlike responsibility to spread goodness in Oz, while experiencing crushing romantic disappointment that humbles her and deflates her vanity.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 18 Nov. 2025
Cade Horton’s late injury scratch deflates some of the vibes, too.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
That determination is sent back to the device, which inflates or deflates balloons with air to assist in raising or lowering the arm.
—Mack Degeurin Aug 21, Popular Science, 21 Aug. 2025
Malavika Kannan, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2026
But Grande’s conceited blonde bubblehead gains in stature here as Glinda assumes statesmanlike responsibility to spread goodness in Oz, while experiencing crushing romantic disappointment that humbles her and deflates her vanity.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 18 Nov. 2025
Cade Horton’s late injury scratch deflates some of the vibes, too.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
That determination is sent back to the device, which inflates or deflates balloons with air to assist in raising or lowering the arm.
—Mack Degeurin Aug 21, Popular Science, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflates
Verb
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That was one of our very strong stakes in the ground, to have a nuclear meltdown where the mountain collapses and Sinatra sacrifices herself.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
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For a few weeks every March, American productivity collapses into a blur of fake doctor’s appointments and furtive glances at phones under conference tables as the NCAA’s annual basketball tournament subsumes the culture.—
Maxwell Adler,
Vanity Fair,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Every weekday before dawn, Deltona empties itself onto I-4.—
Christopher Bellingham,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
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The bustling evening market, where locals gather for tacos, now empties out early.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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By banning advertising by legal operators during live sporting events and sharply limiting promotions, the proposal drastically reduces the visibility of the regulated market.—
Cláudia Nunes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
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Technologies such as Revo-Su, which significantly reduces water consumption, and B210, which enables biodegradability in stretch fabrics, are direct outcomes of this focus.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The lower court’s decisions invalidated a policy of prime importance to the President and his Administration in a manner that undermines our border security.—
Jenna Sundel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
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The defense secretary is upending decades-old norms, current and former leaders say, with some cautioning that his proselytizing violates the Constitution and undermines troop cohesion.—
Michelle Boorstein,
Washington Post,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There is this tendency to frame eating disorders as a purely biological phenomenon in a way that kind of evacuates them of all meaning, or actually repels the attempt to create meaning.—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
23 Feb. 2026
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On the morning of January 29, 2024, her family evacuates their homes in Tel al-Hawa in Gaza City.—
E. Alex Jung,
Vulture,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
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His documentary plunges viewers into a 1996 expedition in Brazil to contact the isolate Indigenous Koruba people in the Amazon rainforest.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
20 Mar. 2026
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Set in a remote harbor village near the DMZ, the sci-fi thriller kicks off with reports of a mysterious discovery that plunges the town into a desperate fight for survival.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the state’s view, that weakens or muddies the legal boundary between the two types of gambling venues.—
Amanda Greenwood,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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Justice delayed weakens deterrence.—
Romy Ellenbogen,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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What Sacks doesn’t get is that by financing and diplomatically supporting Israel, our country makes the crimes of the Israeli government possible, which stains America’s reputation in the world and drains our Treasury.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
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Years of use as a makeshift neighborhood have degraded the forest and contributed to pollution in Coyote Creek, which drains into San Francisco Bay, city leaders say.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deflates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflates. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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