inflate

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.

Many homes “inappropriately diagnosed residents with schizophrenia to mask the nursing homes’ misuse of antipsychotic drugs and to artificially inflate their star ratings,” it adds.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Charities are urging people not to turn their heating off as the war in Iran continues to inflate energy prices.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

And more importantly, he didn’t inflate it into a referendum on the character of New Yorkers.

From Slate • Feb. 28, 2026

Two executives of bankrupt telecommunications business Mobileum conspired to inflate the company’s profit ahead of a private-equity buyout, federal prosecutors alleged in a criminal indictment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

It would inflate the balloon with a huge burst of power, smoothing out the lumpiness of the universe in the same way a breath of air smooths out the wrinkles of a balloon.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife