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- [transitive, intransitive] inflate (something)
to fill something or become filled with gas or air 使充气；膨胀 Inflate your life jacket by pulling sharply on the cord. 猛拽绳扣使你的救生衣充气。 🔊🔊 The balloons had been inflated with helium. 气球已经充了氦气。 When attacked, the fish inflates itself to twice its size. 当受到攻击时，鱼会自行膨胀至两倍大小。 The life jacket failed to inflate. 救生衣未能充气。 🔊🔊 The dinghy was in the water, fully inflated. 橡皮艇已充好气放入水中。
- [transitive] inflate something
to make something appear to be more important or impressive than it really is 鼓吹；吹捧 The media have grossly inflated the significance of this meeting. 媒体对这次会议的重要性大肆吹捧。
- [transitive, intransitive] inflate (something)
to increase the price of something; to increase in price （使）涨价 The principal effect of the demand for new houses was to inflate prices. 对新住宅需求的主要结果是促使价格上涨。 🔊🔊 The profit margin had been artificially inflated. 利润率被人为提高了。 Food prices are no longer inflating at the same rate as last year. 食物价格的上涨率已不再像去年那样高了。 🔊🔊
Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin inflat- ‘blown into’, from the verb inflare, from in- ‘into’ + flare ‘to blow’.