Word family noun inflation inflatable deflation reflation adjective inflatable inflated inflationary deflationary reflationary verb inflate deflate reflate
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishinflatein‧flate /ɪnˈfleɪt/ verb 1 
[intransitive, transitive]AIR to fill something with air or gas so it becomes larger, or to become filled with air or gas It took us half an hour to inflate the dinghy. Her life jacket failed to inflate.2 [transitive]IMPORTANT to make something seem more important or impressive than it really is The success further inflated his self-confidence.be grossly/vastly/hugely inflated The numbers of people involved have been grossly inflated by the media.3 [intransitive, transitive] technicalBPE to increase in price, or to make something increase in price Hotels often inflate prices at particular times of the year. Costs were inflating.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
inflate• Beauty, money, and popularity can all inflate a person's ego.• The raft inflates automatically.• Axe says that the management pressured him to inflate cost estimates on repairs.• We inflated the balloons with helium.• You can inflate the mattress in 30 seconds, using a foot pump.• Tyres should always be inflated to the correct pressure.be grossly/vastly/hugely inflated• The horse's nostrils were vastly inflated and it was panting rhythmically as its hooves struck the hard ground.From Longman Business Dictionaryinflatein‧flate /ɪnˈfleɪt/ verb [intransitive, transitive]ECONOMICS if the cost or level of something inflates or is inflated, it increases, often above what is reasonable or normalOverseas sales were inflated by the depreciation of the yen.Costs of bringing crops to market are likely to inflate due to the high price of oil.→ See Verb tableOrigin inflate (1400-1500) Latin past participle of inflare, from flare “to blow” 