1
as in increasing
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 accelerating
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
Airbags are designed to inflate automatically on impact.
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Recent Examples of inflating
From inflating energy costs for consumers to requiring gross amounts of water for cooling, data centers can strain communities.
—
Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Municipalities led by the city of Philadelphia are pressing the suit, accusing the banks of inflating interest rates on state and municipal bonds.
—Greg Stohr, Bloomberg, 20 Apr. 2026
So, at least in the short term, what’s left of Elwood Energy won’t contribute to meet demand in Chicagoland, potentially inflating prices here that will be reflected in electric bills.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
According to the National Audubon Society, male sage grouse perform courtship displays — fanning their tails, inflating air sacs and producing popping sounds to attract females.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2026
According to the National Audubon Society, male sage grouse perform courtship displays on communal breeding grounds called leks — fanning their tails, inflating air sacs and producing popping sounds to attract females.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2026
Finally, three pilot chutes will pull out Orion's three 116-foot-wide main chutes, which will begin inflating at an altitude of about 6,000 feet.
—Miles Doran, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
Police Chief Lisa Davis said the previous system also captured lower-level interactions — such as wrist manipulation to gain compliance — as standalone force incidents, inflating totals compared with other departments.
—Austin Sanders, Austin American Statesman, 8 Apr. 2026
The Moon — unlike Mars — does not have an atmosphere to supply carbon dioxide for growing algae, so the house-inflating fungi might have to be fed sawdust from Earth.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Municipalities led by the city of Philadelphia are pressing the suit, accusing the banks of inflating interest rates on state and municipal bonds.
—Greg Stohr, Bloomberg, 20 Apr. 2026
So, at least in the short term, what’s left of Elwood Energy won’t contribute to meet demand in Chicagoland, potentially inflating prices here that will be reflected in electric bills.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
According to the National Audubon Society, male sage grouse perform courtship displays — fanning their tails, inflating air sacs and producing popping sounds to attract females.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2026
According to the National Audubon Society, male sage grouse perform courtship displays on communal breeding grounds called leks — fanning their tails, inflating air sacs and producing popping sounds to attract females.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2026
Finally, three pilot chutes will pull out Orion's three 116-foot-wide main chutes, which will begin inflating at an altitude of about 6,000 feet.
—Miles Doran, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
Police Chief Lisa Davis said the previous system also captured lower-level interactions — such as wrist manipulation to gain compliance — as standalone force incidents, inflating totals compared with other departments.
—Austin Sanders, Austin American Statesman, 8 Apr. 2026
The Moon — unlike Mars — does not have an atmosphere to supply carbon dioxide for growing algae, so the house-inflating fungi might have to be fed sawdust from Earth.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflating
Verb
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These organizations, striving to fill the information gap created by the state government’s increasing drift toward secrecy — can’t rely on taxpayers to pay their bills.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
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These changes were to be achieved by increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables, decreasing the consumption of meat and eggs, and substituting nonfat milk for whole milk.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The growing fleet is accelerating development by generating large-scale data for Helix, the company’s humanoid AI model, while enabling real-world deployment across research, commercial, and domestic use cases, according to a blog by Figure.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
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Polls show Americans are angry — and rightly so — at accelerating medical bills.—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Walker was also experiencing a mental health issue and was shot after raising a knife.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
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Several early tests failed, raising questions about the program’s future.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Southern Anoka County Assistance food shelf (SACA) is expanding to meet a growing need in Columbia Heights.—
Ashley Grams,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
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The store initially sold ice cream before expanding to chocolates in 1965.—
Clare Fisher,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That’s why David Gallo’s setting, a vista of a fragile boarding house nearly consumed by the rising, sun-blotting, industrial landscape of Pittsburgh, works so effectively here.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
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After a faulty cooling system was left to disrepair, rising temperatures resulted in an explosion with the equivalent force of 70-100 tons of TNT.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Complications from measles include ear infections, hearing loss, pneumonia, croup, diarrhea, blindness, and swelling of the brain, the CDC said.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
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Measuring just several tens of cubic millimeters, the new microbattery eliminates many of the safety risks associated with traditional lithium-ion batteries (Li-ion), such as swelling, leakage, and overheating, by avoiding liquid electrolytes.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At the youth levels, participation is still ballooning.—
Christopher Kamrani,
New York Times,
16 Apr. 2026
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Meanwhile, the economic slowdown in China and ballooning public debt in the United States are in part due to the two powers’ aging populations.—
John Rennie Short,
The Conversation,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The montage features Louis playing on the beach, swinging a bat, and jumping into the ocean—a snapshot of carefree moments typical of a normal childhood.—
Antonella Rossi,
Vanity Fair,
24 Apr. 2026
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That never appeared more obvious than his final appearance, when the Chargers’ secondary began jumping some routes.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inflating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflating. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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