inflate
/ɪnˈfleɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈfleɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /in-ˈflāt/ (ame, mw)
inflate — 動詞
- inflatepresent simple I / you / we / they
- inflateshe / she / it
- inflatedpast simple
- inflating-ing form
1. to push air or gas into a hollow object so that it grows bigger and feels firmer
充氣
將氣體注入使物體膨脹
to push air or gas into a hollow object so that it grows bigger and feels firmer, or to become bigger in this way because air or gas has been pushed in
Soraya used a small pump to inflate the air mattress before her guests arrived.
Soraya 用一個小打氣筒為充氣床墊充氣，好讓客人抵達時有地方睡。
transitive: inflate + object (mattress)
The tyres on Sumin's bicycle inflate through a valve on the wheel rim.
Sumin 的腳踏車輪胎透過輪框上的氣嘴進行充氣。
intransitive: tyres inflate through a valve
Hamza watched the hot air balloon slowly inflate as the burner heated the air inside.
Hamza 看著熱氣球隨著燃燒器加熱球內的空氣而慢慢膨脹起來。
Without a pump, it took Tamás nearly twenty minutes to inflate the football.
沒有打氣筒，Tamás 花了將近二十分鐘才把橄欖球充好氣。
- deflate
to let the air or gas out of something
文法句型
inflate + noun phrase
inflate + noun phrase + with + air/gas
noun phrase + inflate (intransitive)
用法筆記
This sense can be used transitively (someone inflates something) or intransitively (something inflates by itself). The past participle 'inflated' is commonly used as an adjective, e.g. 'an inflated tyre'.
常見錯誤
2. to describe or present something as being bigger, more valuable, or more signifi
誇大
誇張地放大事物的重要性或規模
to describe or present something as being bigger, more valuable, or more significant than the truth would justify
The politician inflated the sales figures to make the project look more successful.
那位政治人物誇大了銷售數字，好讓該計畫聽起來更成功。
transitive: inflate + figures/numbers
Christopher felt the media was inflating the dangers of the new technology to attract viewers.
Christopher 覺得媒體為了吸引觀眾而誇大新科技的危險性。
transitive: inflate + abstract noun (dangers, risks)
Lakshmi inflated her past achievements on the job application to seem more qualified.
Lakshmi 在求職申請中誇大了自己過去的成就，讓自己看起來條件更好。
The film's marketing team inflated the budget to create a sense of epic scale.
那部電影的行銷團隊誇大了製作預算，以營造史詩級鉅作的氣勢。
- exaggerate
broader; can apply to any kind of overstatement, not just size or importance
- overstate
more formal; suggests going beyond the truth in a deliberate way
- puff up
informal; often used for someone's pride or ego
- downplay
to make something seem less important than it really is
- understate
to describe something as smaller or less significant than it is
文法句型
inflate + noun phrase (figures, claims, importance)
inflate + possessive + noun phrase
用法筆記
Often used with nouns related to numbers, status, or claims (figures, achievements, ego, importance, risks). The object is almost always abstract — you do not inflate a physical object in this sense.
常見錯誤
3. to make prices rise across an entire economy, or to rise in this way, typically
通膨；漲價
導致或經歷物價普遍上漲
to make prices rise across an entire economy, or to rise in this way, typically because the amount of money available increases or the value of currency drops
The central bank's decision to print more money inflated the cost of everyday goods.
中央銀行決定加印貨幣，使得日常用品的價格全面上漲。
transitive: inflate + the cost of [goods]
Housing prices in the area inflated rapidly after the new train station was built.
新火車站落成後，該地區的房價迅速飆漲。
intransitive: prices inflate
Aylin worried that rising oil prices would inflate the cost of her weekly shopping.
Aylin 擔心油價上漲會讓每週採買的花費變得更貴。
During the war, food prices inflated sharply as supplies became scarce.
戰爭期間，由於物資短缺，糧食價格急遽攀升。
- deflate
to cause prices to fall; opposite in economic contexts
文法句型
inflate + noun phrase (prices, costs)
noun phrase + inflate (intransitive: prices inflate)
用法筆記
This sense is primarily used in economic and financial contexts. It often appears in passive constructions ('prices were inflated by…') or with adverbs like 'sharply', 'rapidly', 'artificially'.