DEFLATE

deflate

(verb) become deflated or flaccid, as by losing air; “The balloons deflated”

deflate, puncture

(verb) reduce or lessen the size or importance of; “The bad review of his work deflated his self-confidence”

deflate

(verb) release contained air or gas from; “deflate the air mattress”

deflate

(verb) collapse by releasing contained air or gas; “deflate a balloon”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Verb

deflate (third-person singular simple present deflates, present participle deflating, simple past and past participle deflated)

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

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

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

(intransitive) To become deflated.

(transitive) To let down or disappoint.

(transitive, computing) To compress (data) according to a particular algorithm.

Antonyms

• inflate

Source: Wiktionary

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De*flate", v. t. Etym: [Pref. de- down + L. flare, flatus to blow.]

Definition: To reduce from an inflated condition.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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