INFLATING Synonyms: 105 Similar and Opposite Words

inflating

verb

present participle of inflate

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.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

as in accelerating

to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number Airbags are designed to inflate automatically on impact.

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 inflating But the company’s meteoric rise ground to a halt after a former Outcome analyst contacted the Wall Street Journal with allegations that the company was misleading pharmaceutical companies and inflating data. — Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026 One engineer admitted to inflating usage after a performance review dinged them for not using AI enough. — Vinay Kuruvila, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 But he has been accused of inflating his role in some projects and demonstrating a self-confidence that borders on cockiness. — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026 From inflating power costs for consumers to requiring mass amounts of water for cooling, data centers are frequently putting surrounding communities under significant strain. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026 Malloy used reports, contract negotiations and a cross-state promotional tour to force a new fiscal culture and end the longstanding practice of inflating pension costs while pushing them onto future generations. — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2026 Wazne, one of Berri Brothers’ owners, said using low prices to keep a constant flow of cost-conscious customers helps his business by inflating footfall to the stands’ convenience stores. — Lily Wright, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026 Several models would then follow for both basketball and tennis, and Pump’s most famous moment would through Dee Brown inflating his sneakers before winning 1991 NBA Dunk Contest. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 28 July 2026 The world’s two largest economies are inflating their balance sheets through fundamentally different, equally precarious mechanisms. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflating

Verb

But the drought is still hitting home with record-low water levels on the Danube River disrupting grain transport, causing chronically congested terminals and an increasing pileup of crops with nowhere to go.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
Our city is not alone in the trend of increasing e-scooter injuries.

— Narmeen Khan, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of increasing

Verb

Analysts say the shift could reshape Africa’s automotive industry by creating jobs, developing local supply chains and accelerating adoption of electric vehicles, although weak infrastructure and policy uncertainty remain significant obstacles.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
In her new role, the company said Kanemitsu will oversee its strategic vision and day-to-day operations across Japan, focusing on accelerating customer success, deepening partner relationships and driving regional growth.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of accelerating

Verb

Previous contracts establishing long-term benefits have been set in increments of 10 or even 20 years, raising the stakes for labor and the state.

— Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
The war in the Middle East has made cargoes more scarce and, in turn, more expensive, raising the prospects of another energy crunch.

— Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of raising

Verb

Both companies say that weight-loss pills are expanding the market, rather than being bought only by people who'd already used the more expensive injectables.

— Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2026
Aid workers say the outbreak continues to outpace response that's been expanding across the five provinces affected.

— CBS News, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of expanding

Verb

Conditions that are too cold might delay proofing or rising, resulting in a super-dense loaf.

— Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Aug. 2026
Production of solar panels in Nigeria, meanwhile, is expanding rapidly, with local assembly capacity rising from about 120 megawatts to roughly 300 megawatts in the last two years.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of rising

Verb

In nearby Anderson in Madison County, Indiana, the mayor declared a local disaster emergency and issued evacuation orders Thursday along the swelling White River and other waterways.

— Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Additionally, more than 100 reports of serious adverse events, mostly cases of patients being hospitalized for swelling, respiratory, and heart complications, have been reported to the FDA.

— Adam Feuerstein, STAT, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of swelling

Verb

Such is the fate that befalls Meta, whose shares fell as much as 10% in after-hours trading Wednesday after the company missed earnings due to costs ballooning 55% (Meta’s stock later recovered some ground and was down 7%).

— Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 30 July 2026
So far there’s no sign of that, and time is running out, although to its credit the EU, with its Industrial Accelerator Act, wants urgent action to save local automakers from succumbing to ballooning Chinese sales.

— Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of ballooning

Verb

Defense attorneys for the Massachusetts labor and delivery nurse do not deny that Clancy strangled her three children — Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and Callan, 8 months — before jumping from a second-story window of her suburban home in 2023.

— Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
An avid athlete, Norton has participated in competitive horse jumping and skydiving and has also played tennis and skied.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of jumping

Browse Nearby Words

inflates

inflating

inflation

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Inflating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflating. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of inflating

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on inflating

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

zeugma

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes