deflate
gb/dɪflˈeɪt/ us/dɪflˈeɪt/
B2
English
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B2
process
1
Lose or release air
If something deflates, or you deflate it, the air comes out and it becomes smaller or flatter.
Usage pattern:
[something] deflates; deflate [something]
Common mistake:
Do not confuse deflate with inflate, which means to fill something with air.
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.)
Collocations
deflate a tire
|deflate a tyre
|deflate a balloon
|deflate an air mattress
|slowly deflate
|fully deflate
|partially deflate
Themes
daily_life
|objects
|transport
Examples
- She deflated the air mattress before packing it away.
- The balloon slowly deflated overnight.
- The tire deflated after it hit a nail.
Learner examples
- He deflated the beach ball.
- The balloon deflated.
Verb
B2
action
2
Discourage or humble someone
To make a person suddenly feel disappointed or less confident.
Usage pattern:
deflate [someone]; deflate [someone]'s confidence/ego/hopes
Common mistake:
This meaning is often used in the passive: someone is or feels deflated.
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.)
Collocations
deflate someone's confidence
|deflate someone's hopes
|deflate someone's enthusiasm
|deflate someone's pride
|deflate the team
|bad news deflates someone
Themes
emotions
|social_interaction
Examples
- The rejection email deflated her after weeks of interviews.
- Losing the first game deflated the whole team.
- His confidence was deflated by the harsh review.
Learner examples
- The bad news deflated me.
- The team felt deflated after the loss.
Verb
C1
action
3
Reduce importance or impact
To make something seem less important, impressive, or serious than people thought.
Usage pattern:
deflate [a claim/argument/myth/reputation]
Common mistake:
Use this for reducing the force or importance of an idea, not for physically breaking it.
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.)
Collocations
deflate a claim
|deflate an argument
|deflate a myth
|deflate a reputation
|deflate fears
|deflate excitement
|deflate a narrative
Themes
communication
|media
|debate
Examples
- The report deflated claims that the product was revolutionary.
- One awkward question deflated the candidate's argument.
- The poor launch numbers quickly deflated the excitement around the app.
Learner examples
- The facts deflated the rumor.
- The review deflated the excitement.
Verb
business
C1
process
4
Lower prices or activity
In economics, to make prices or economic activity go down, or to start going down.
Usage pattern:
deflate [prices/the economy/a bubble]; [prices/a bubble] deflate
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.
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.)
Collocations
deflate prices
|deflate the economy
|deflate demand
|deflate asset prices
|deflate a housing bubble
|a bubble deflates
|prices deflate
Themes
economics
|business
|finance
Examples
- Central banks try not to deflate the economy too sharply.
- Falling demand can deflate prices across an industry.
- The housing bubble began to deflate after interest rates rose.
Learner examples
- The policy could deflate prices.
- The market bubble deflated quickly.
Verb
technical
C2
action
5
Remove inflation from figures
In economics, to change a money figure so it shows real value after inflation is removed.
Usage pattern:
deflate [nominal amount/statistic] by/with [price index]; deflate [figures] to [base-year prices]
Common mistake:
This does not mean the number is wrong; it means the figure is being converted from nominal terms to real terms.
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.)
Collocations
deflate nominal GDP
|deflate sales figures
|deflate revenue
|deflate wages
|deflate nominal values
|deflate by the CPI
|deflate to constant dollars
Themes
economics
|statistics
|finance
|data
Examples
- The researchers deflated nominal GDP using a standard price index.
- All revenue figures were deflated to 2015 dollars.
- Economists deflate wages to compare purchasing power over time.
Learner examples
- They deflated the figures for inflation.
- The data were deflated to real prices.
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.
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.
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.
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.