Link Centre Dictionary

deflate

def·late

UK/diːˈfleɪt/ US/dɪˈfleɪt/ rare slang

verb

1.

collapse by releasing contained air or gas

  • “deflate a balloon”
2.

release contained air or gas from

  • “deflate the air mattress”
3.

reduce or lessen the size or importance of

  • “The bad review of his work deflated his self-confidence”
Synonyms
4.

produce deflation in

  • “The new measures deflated the economy”
Antonyms
5.

reduce or cut back the amount or availability of, creating a decline in value or prices

  • “deflate the currency”
Antonyms
6.

become deflated or flaccid, as by losing air

  • “The balloons deflated”
Antonyms

Origin

From de- + (in)flate. Coined in 1891, in reference to balloons. Equivalent to Latin dē- (“away, from”) + Latin flō (“blow”) + -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.