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inflict

[in-flikt] / ɪnˈflɪkt /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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“The fact that the U.S. can inflict pain is a given,” said Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, an economist at Virginia Tech.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 2, 2026

Canada, for its part, is beginning to test its own ability to inflict economic pain.

From BBC Aug. 26, 2026

That isn’t to say that a 22% haircut wouldn’t inflict serious financial hardship on millions of retirees.

From MarketWatch Aug. 6, 2026

More importantly, that thinking ignores the trauma the investigations themselves inflict.

From Slate Jul. 7, 2026

Any injury we inflict on the Obayifo might hurt Autumn.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Jocelin’s certainty is absolute; so is the damage it inflicts.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 22, 2026

"Please can we not be a church that inflicts such pain, and that I believe is the fundamental choice at the base of this bill," he added.

From BBC Apr. 16, 2026

The focus here is squarely on her mother, another survivor who inflicts her own share of damage along the way.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 17, 2026

Sensitively, the film portrays the devastation Alzheimer's disease inflicts on a patient's loved ones.

From Barron's Feb. 21, 2026

Is humanity worth the pain it inflicts upon itself?

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

After all the pain Boeing has inflicted on its shareholders and the public, it can’t afford another misstep.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 3, 2026

But this is how discovery works: If you claim a broadcast inflicted extraordinary economic harm, the defendant gets to test that claim.

From Salon Aug. 18, 2026

The billionaire has since repeated that he is keeping the option of striking Tehran on the table, but prefers to stress the economic damage inflicted on the country through economic sanctions.

From Barron's Aug. 12, 2026

The measure of his serious intent to change will be measured in how he spends it—in seeking a return to public power, or in reckoning with the harm he inflicted.

From Slate Jul. 10, 2026

But he had not counted on the fervor of the French troops—on their determination to defend their home soil—and French soldiers inflicted as many losses on the Germans as the French themselves suffered.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

The overstretched will slide into financial distress, inflicting losses on banks and on the private lenders that have proliferated.

From MarketWatch Sep. 4, 2026

The second-tier side earned qualification for the Europa League by inflicting a shock defeat on Sporting CP to win the Portuguese Cup final in May.

From BBC Aug. 28, 2026

In the summer, it also began targeting warehouses of Russia's biggest online retailer Wildberries, inflicting losses not only on the company but also on hundreds of sellers who use the platform.

From Barron's Aug. 12, 2026

In his novel “Sacred Hunger,” Barry Unsworth wrote: “Nothing a man suffers will prevent him from inflicting suffering on others. Indeed, it will teach him the way.”

From The Wall Street Journal May 29, 2026

He must only guard against inflicting serious injury on anyone who serves him and anyone he has near him in the service of his principality, as Antoninus had done.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli




Vocabulary lists containing inflict


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