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deflate

(transitive, economics) To reduce the amount of available currency or credit and thus lower prices.

diːˈfleɪtDocumented since 1890sSilenthistoricalCurrent152 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
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3 definitions
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Seen in the wild
4 citations · last seen May 2026

Etymology timeline

Born ~1891 · 1 year of recorded use
1891Born2026: 4 citationsToday, 2026

Seen in the wild

Definitions

#1·Apr 27, 2026

(transitive, economics) To reduce the amount of available currency or credit and thus lower prices.

For parents

"deflate" means: To reduce the amount of available currency or credit and thus lower prices.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.

For ESL learners

"deflate" means: To reduce the amount of available currency or credit and thus lower prices.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.

Heard in the wild
  • “i ponder of something great, my lungs will fill and then deflate.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
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#2·Apr 27, 2026

(transitive) To remove air or some other gas from within an elastic container, e.g. a balloon or tyre.

deflate someone's ego
Origin: From . Coined in 1891, in reference to balloons. Equivalent to. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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#3·Apr 27, 2026

(transitive) To cause an object to decrease or become smaller in some parameter, e.g. to shrink.

Heard in the wild
  • “"Humor endows us with the capacity the clarify the obscure, the simplify the complex, to deflate the pompous, the chastise the arrogant. to point a moral, and to adorn a tale." John T. McCutcheon, born on this day in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, in 1870”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “If as a society, we actually acknowledge the vulnerability of transmasculine people as well as actually see trans men as defining manhood as much as cis men, that would completely deflate the patriarchal drive to force manhood as power and is so dangerous to be unnameable.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “Tfw you're burping your baby and she lets out a burp so massive that you can feel her entire body deflate”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
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For specific readers

"deflate" means: To reduce the amount of available currency or credit and thus lower prices.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.

Why is this section here?

Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.

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