1
as in increases
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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2
as in accelerates
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
Airbags are designed to inflate automatically on impact.
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Recent Examples of inflates
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
Mack Degeurin Aug 21, Popular Science, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflates
Verb
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And the alloy wheels are an inch smaller, which increases the range to 288 miles (464 km).—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
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Every decision either increases your freedom or decreases it.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Coaching accelerates trust, sharpens skills, and keeps teams engaged even when separated by time zones and thousands of miles.—
Matthew C. Meade,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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The missile’s low-G launch from the cannon avoids the need for hardened components, while a rocket motor accelerates it to low supersonic speeds.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For Little, this raises even more questions.—
Sarah Durn,
Popular Science,
11 Sep. 2025
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In July, a geologist warned that an ongoing cluster of smaller earthquakes near the Nicobar Islands could signal a volcanic eruption in the Andaman Sea, which raises fears of another tsunami.—
M. Rajshekhar,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Now, even if the AL and NL were to stay, realignment is going to have to happen anyway once MLB expands to 32 teams.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
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The film expands on the novel Stabat Mater by Tiziano Scarpa, which in turn is based on the real life of Vivaldi who was a Roman Catholic priest and taught at the Ospedale della Pietà for almost 30 years.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The probability of lightning strikes rises as a thunderstorm approaches and peaks when the storm is directly above.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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If inflation rises, the Fed could increase interest rates in an attempt to slow the economy.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Each October, when the river swells with rainwater, workers pause, move their tools and wares away, and only return once the waters recede.—
Faye Bradley,
CNN Money,
28 Aug. 2025
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The difference between a story that swells into something bigger than the writer or collapses when the pen is no longer in their hand.—
Ken Polk,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inflates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflates. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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