Dictionary

deflate en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /diːˈfleɪt/ (UK)
• /dɪˈfleɪt/ (UK)

Etymology

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

Meanings

1. (transitive) To remove air or some other gas from within an elastic container, e.g. a balloon or tyre.
2. (transitive) To cause an object to decrease or become smaller in some parameter, e.g. to shrink
3. (transitive) To reduce the amount of available currency or credit and thus lower prices.
4. (intransitive) To become deflated.
5. (transitive) To let (someone) down, disappoint them, or put them in their place.
   • deflate someone's ego
   • Scotland's first match at a men's major finals in 23 years ended in anguish after Patrik Schick's incredible halfway-line goal helped the Czech Republic inflict a deflating opening Euro 2020 defeat at Hampden. 2021 June 14, Scott Mullen, “Scotland 0-2 Czech Republic”, in BBC Sport:
6. (transitive) To compress (data) according to a particular algorithm.
   • Never had a problem, guess I've never had to deflate multiple files! 2003, Alan D Johnson, “unzip utility on HPUX”, in comp.sys.hp.hpux (Usenet):
7. (slang) To belch or flatulate

Forms

Antonyms

inflate

Coordinates

deair · deaerate

Deriveds

deflatingly · deflater · Deflatriots · deflator · Deflategate · deflatable · deflation

Synonyms

collapse

Translations (42)

pl spuścić powietrze (reduction, usually in volume) · de verringern (reduction, usually in volume) · it deflazionare (reduction, usually in volume) · fr dégonfler (reduction, usually in volume) · bg намалявам (reduction, usually in volume) · cmn 放气 (reduction, usually in volume) · hu összezsugorodik (intr) (reduction, usually in volume) · hu zsugorodik (intr) (reduction, usually in volume) · cmn 放氣 /放气 (reduction, usually in volume) · de verkleinern (reduction, usually in volume) · bcl lupos (reduction, usually in volume) · pt desinflar (reduction, usually in volume) · mk издишува (reduction, usually in volume) · ia deflar (reduction, usually in volume) · ro dezumfla (reduction, usually in volume) · th แฟบ (reduction, usually in volume) · de sich entleeren (reduction, usually in volume) · bg изпразвам (reduction, usually in volume) · pt esvaziar (reduction, usually in volume) · ar انْكَمَش (reduction, usually in volume) · de entleeren (reduction, usually in volume) · hu zsugorít (tr) (reduction, usually in volume) · ru сдува́ть (reduction, usually in volume) · hu csökken (intr) (reduction, usually in volume) · es deshinchar (reduction, usually in volume) · bg изпускам въздуха (reduction, usually in volume) · de leeren (reduction, usually in volume) · sv släppa ut (luft, gas) (reduction, usually in volume) · de ablassen (reduction, usually in volume) · fr désenfler (reduction, usually in volume) · fi tyhjentää (reduction, usually in volume) · pl spuszczać powietrze (reduction, usually in volume) · sv släppa ur (reduction, usually in volume) · la exanimō (reduction, usually in volume) · ru сдуть (reduction, usually in volume) · hu leereszt (reduction, usually in volume) · pt murchar (reduction, usually in volume) · es desinflar (reduction, usually in volume) · bcl kupos (reduction, usually in volume) · fi kutistaa (reduction, usually in volume) · hu csökkent (tr) (reduction, usually in volume) · de schrumpfen (reduction, usually in volume)