inflate

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Investors, for their part, know they are unlikely to get all the shares they ask for in the IPO, so traditionally they inflate the number they want.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

Both rappers have accused each other of using bots to artificially inflate their listening figures - something that was mentioned in Drake's lawsuit against his own label, Universal Music Group, which was eventually thrown out.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

The researchers say this interaction could partly inflate the estimated genetic influence of IQ, potentially by as much as 15 percentage points.

From Science Daily • May 6, 2026

Many homes “inappropriately diagnosed residents with schizophrenia to mask the nursing homes’ misuse of antipsychotic drugs and to artificially inflate their star ratings,” it adds.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

He wasn’t a huge guy, but he was breathing in a way that seemed to inflate him, and he stood there staring at me, his neck bent over, his arms down at his sides.

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez