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| in·flate [ in fláyt ] (past and past participle in·flat·ed, present participle in·flat·ing, 3rd person present singular in·flates) |
transitive and intransitive verb |
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1. expand with air: to fill something such as a ball, mattress, tire, or boat with air or gas to bring it to the proper size, shape, and firmness for use, or to become filled with air or gas
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2. make something appear greater: to exaggerate the size or importance of something, or become exaggerated in size or importance
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3. economics increase prices or money supply: to cause inflation in prices or the money supply, or undergo inflation
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| [15th century. < Latin inflat-, past participle of inflare "blow into" < flare "to blow"] |
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  in·fla·tor noun |
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