deflate
gb/dɪflˈeɪt/ us/dɪflˈeɪt/
B2
English
leereszt, lelomboz, letör, meggyengít, cáfol, lehűt, kipukkan, deflál, reálértékre átszámít
VERB
B2
1
leereszt
B1
Usage pattern:
[something] deflates; deflate [something]
She deflated the air mattress before packing it away.
Elpakolás előtt leeresztette a felfújható matracot.
The balloon slowly deflated overnight.
A lufi éjszaka lassan leeresztett.
The tire deflated after it hit a nail.
Learner examples
He deflated the beach ball.
Leeresztette a strandlabdát.
The balloon deflated.
A lufi leeresztett.
Common mistake:
Do not confuse deflate with inflate, which means to fill something with air.
Meaning
Lose or release air
Collocations
deflate a tire
|deflate a tyre
|deflate a balloon
|deflate an air mattress
|slowly deflate
|fully deflate
|partially deflate
Synonyms
let down (Common for releasing air from something such as a tire or balloon.)
|
flatten (Focuses on the resulting shape rather than the air escaping.)
|
empty (More general and less precise.)
Antonyms
inflate (Means to fill something with air or gas.)
|
pump up (Informal; means to add air to something.)
Themes
daily_life
|objects
|transport
Definition
If something deflates, or you deflate it, the air comes out and it becomes smaller or flatter.
To let air or gas out of something, or to become smaller because air or gas has escaped.
VERB
B2
2
Usage pattern:
deflate [someone]; deflate [someone]'s confidence/ego/hopes
The rejection email deflated her after weeks of interviews.
A hetekig tartó interjúk után az elutasító e-mail teljesen lelombozta.
Losing the first game deflated the whole team.
Az első meccs elvesztése lelombozta az egész csapatot.
His confidence was deflated by the harsh review.
Learner examples
The bad news deflated me.
A rossz hír lelombozott.
The team felt deflated after the loss.
A csapat levertnek érezte magát a vereség után.
Common mistake:
This meaning is often used in the passive: someone is or feels deflated.
Meaning
Discourage or humble someone
Collocations
deflate someone's confidence
|deflate someone's hopes
|deflate someone's enthusiasm
|deflate someone's pride
|deflate the team
|bad news deflates someone
Synonyms
discourage (General word for making someone lose confidence or hope.)
|
dishearten (Slightly stronger and more emotional.)
|
humble (Focuses on making someone less proud.)
Antonyms
encourage (Means to give someone confidence or hope.)
|
boost (Means to increase confidence, energy, or enthusiasm.)
Themes
emotions
|social_interaction
Definition
To make a person suddenly feel disappointed or less confident.
To make someone feel less confident, proud, excited, or hopeful.
VERB
C1
3
Usage pattern:
deflate [a claim/argument/myth/reputation]
The report deflated claims that the product was revolutionary.
A jelentés megcáfolta azokat az állításokat, hogy a termék forradalmi lenne.
One awkward question deflated the candidate's argument.
Egy kínos kérdés meggyengítette a jelölt érvelését.
The poor launch numbers quickly deflated the excitement around the app.
Learner examples
The facts deflated the rumor.
A tények megcáfolták a pletykát.
The review deflated the excitement.
A kritika lehűtötte a lelkesedést.
Common mistake:
Use this for reducing the force or importance of an idea, not for physically breaking it.
Meaning
Reduce importance or impact
Collocations
deflate a claim
|deflate an argument
|deflate a myth
|deflate a reputation
|deflate fears
|deflate excitement
|deflate a narrative
Synonyms
puncture (More vivid; often means to expose weakness in an idea or image.)
|
undermine (Means to weaken support or authority.)
|
debunk (Means to show that a belief or claim is false.)
Antonyms
inflate (Means to make something seem bigger or more important than it is.)
|
exaggerate (Means to describe something as larger, better, or worse than it really is.)
|
amplify (Means to increase the effect or attention given to something.)
Themes
communication
|media
|debate
Definition
To make something seem less important, impressive, or serious than people thought.
To make an idea, claim, argument, reputation, or situation seem less impressive, important, or powerful.
VERB
C1
BUSINESS
4
Usage pattern:
deflate [prices/the economy/a bubble]; [prices/a bubble] deflate
Central banks try not to deflate the economy too sharply.
A központi bankok igyekeznek nem túl hirtelen lehűteni a gazdaságot.
Falling demand can deflate prices across an industry.
A csökkenő kereslet egy egész iparágban letörheti az árakat.
The housing bubble began to deflate after interest rates rose.
Learner examples
The policy could deflate prices.
Ez a politika letörheti az árakat.
The market bubble deflated quickly.
A piaci buborék gyorsan kipukkadt.
Common mistake:
This economic meaning is different from the everyday meaning of letting air out, though it comes from the same image of something shrinking.
Meaning
Lower prices or activity
Collocations
deflate prices
|deflate the economy
|deflate demand
|deflate asset prices
|deflate a housing bubble
|a bubble deflates
|prices deflate
Synonyms
depress (Often used for pushing prices or activity down.)
|
reduce (More general and neutral.)
|
contract (Often intransitive; describes an economy becoming smaller.)
Antonyms
inflate (Means to increase prices or create inflation.)
|
stimulate (Means to encourage economic activity.)
|
expand (Means to grow rather than shrink.)
Themes
economics
|business
|finance
Definition
In economics, to make prices or economic activity go down, or to start going down.
To cause prices, demand, an economy, or a financial bubble to fall or shrink, especially in a way connected with economic deflation.
VERB
C2
TECHNICAL
5
deflál
C1
Usage pattern:
deflate [nominal amount/statistic] by/with [price index]; deflate [figures] to [base-year prices]
The researchers deflated nominal GDP using a standard price index.
A kutatók egy szokásos árindex segítségével deflálták a nominális GDP-t.
All revenue figures were deflated to 2015 dollars.
Az összes bevételi adatot 2015-ös dollárra deflálták.
Economists deflate wages to compare purchasing power over time.
Learner examples
They deflated the figures for inflation.
Az adatokat inflációval kiigazították.
The data were deflated to real prices.
Az adatokat reálárakra számították át.
Common mistake:
This does not mean the number is wrong; it means the figure is being converted from nominal terms to real terms.
Meaning
Remove inflation from figures
Collocations
deflate nominal GDP
|deflate sales figures
|deflate revenue
|deflate wages
|deflate nominal values
|deflate by the CPI
|deflate to constant dollars
Synonyms
adjust for inflation (Clearer and more common in general language.)
|
convert to real terms (Technical phrase used in economics and finance.)
|
index-adjust (Technical; emphasizes the use of an index.)
Antonyms
inflate (Can mean to adjust an earlier amount upward to current prices.)
|
leave nominal (Means not to remove the effect of inflation.)
Themes
economics
|statistics
|finance
|data
Definition
In economics, to change a money figure so it shows real value after inflation is removed.
To adjust a money amount, statistic, or economic series to remove the effect of inflation, usually by using a price index.
Grammar
Dictionary form
deflate
IPA
GB/dɪflˈeɪt/
US/dɪflˈeɪt/
Syllables & stress
de - flate (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (flate)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: deflate
- 3rd Person Singular: deflates
- Present Participle: deflating
- Past: deflated
Expressions
be/feel deflated
1/bˈifˈil dɪflˈeɪtɪd/
fixed phrase
Feel disappointed or discouraged
To feel sad and less hopeful because something bad or disappointing happened.
Examples
- Everyone felt deflated after the project was cancelled.
- She looked deflated when she heard she had not got the job.
- The players were clearly deflated by the late goal.
Learner examples
- I felt deflated after the test.
- He was deflated by the news.
deflate expectations
1/dɪflˈeɪt ˌɛkspɛktˈeɪʃənz/
fixed phrase
Lower what people expect
To make people think the result will be less good or less exciting than they expected.
Examples
- The company tried to deflate expectations before announcing its results.
- Early reviews deflated expectations for the film.
- Officials used careful language to deflate expectations about a quick agreement.
Learner examples
- The manager deflated expectations for the launch.
- The news deflated our expectations.
deflate someone's ego
1/dɪflˈeɪt sˈʌmwˌʌnz ˈiɡoʊ/
idiom
Make someone less arrogant
To make someone stop feeling too proud of themselves.
Examples
- A few honest comments quickly deflated his ego.
- The coach praised her talent but also deflated her ego when she got overconfident.
- Losing to a beginner really deflated his ego.
Learner examples
- The mistake deflated his ego.
- Her teacher deflated her ego kindly.
deflate the hype
1/dɪflˈeɪt ðə hˈaɪp/
fixed phrase
Reduce exaggerated excitement
To make people less excited about something that has been praised too much.
Examples
- The product's weak performance deflated the hype around its launch.
- A realistic review helped deflate the hype about the new diet trend.
- The first episode did little to deflate the hype surrounding the series.
Learner examples
- The facts deflated the hype.
- Bad reviews deflated the hype about the game.