deflate

verb

Definition of deflatenext
1
as in to collapse
to become smaller in size or volume due to loss of contents We kept her birthday decorations up until the balloons started deflating.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to empty
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to reduce
to make or become lower in amount or value The excess supply deflated prices. The company's stock has deflated.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to undermine
to cause to lose force or effectiveness Her cutting remark deflated his ego. The lawsuit deflated their hopes for a quick resolution.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
  1. collapse
  2. empty
  3. reduce
  4. undermine
  5. compress
  6. drain
  7. decline
  8. weaken
Verb
  • However, the deal collapsed when Trump accused Maduro of stalling the repatriation process, leading his administration to reinstate harsh sanctions, including revoking oil giant Chevron’s license to operate in Venezuela and imposing a 25% tariff on Venezuelan crude and gas exports.
    — Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Additional footage shows collapsed buildings and wreckage in the streets.
    — Scott Neuman, NPR, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of collapse
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
Definition of empty
Verb
  • Standardization can also reduce due diligence burdens.
    — The Sorenson Impact Institute, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Higher temperatures may also reduce the sugar content of maple sap, meaning producers will need to collect and boil more sap to produce the same quantities of syrup.
    — Nina Foster, JSTOR Daily, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of reduce
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
Definition of undermine
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
Definition of compress
Verb
  • Until then, the negative effects of import taxes such as rising unemployment and a slowing economy will drain trillions of dollars from the revenues the administration hopes to raise.
    — Howard Gleckman, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Former President Joe Biden drained the reserve of more than 40% of its capacity when gas prices reached record highs, averaging more than $5 a gallon across the U.S. in June 2022.
    — Dan McCaleb | The Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 7 Apr. 2025
Definition of drain
Verb
  • County officials declined to comment on the civil lawsuit.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
  • The hospital declined to say whether Ikner was one of their patients.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2025
Definition of decline
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
Definition of weaken

Browse Nearby Words

deflagrating
deflate
deflated
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Cite this Entry

“Deflate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflate. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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