inflation

noun

in·​fla·​tion in-ˈflā-shən How to pronounce inflation (audio)
Synonyms of inflationnext
1
: an act of inflating : a state of being inflated: such as
a
: distension
b
: a hypothetical extremely brief period of very rapid expansion of the universe immediately following the big bang
c
: empty pretentiousness : pomposity
2
: a continuing rise in the general price level usually attributed to an increase in the volume of money and credit relative to available goods and services

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of inflation in a Sentence

the inflation of a balloon The government has been unable to control inflation. The rate of inflation is high.
Recent Examples on the Web His challenge is to get Americans to focus on that rather than on other issues driven by foreign affairs, like inflation or immigration. —Massimo Calabresi / Washington, TIME, 4 June 2024 But just last week, a new dark money group supporting Trump, Securing American Greatness, put up an ad in Pennsylvania that criticized Mr. Biden on inflation, Politico reported. —Daniel Klaidman, CBS News, 4 June 2024 That would delight contrarian cosmologists who dislike the idea of cosmic inflation. —Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 3 June 2024 Headline inflation may have slowed a bit in Indonesia in May. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 2 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for inflation 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inflation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of inflation was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing inflation

Dictionary Entries Near inflation

inflatedness

inflation

inflationary

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Inflation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inflation. Accessed 8 Jun. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

inflation

noun
in·​fla·​tion in-ˈflā-shən How to pronounce inflation (audio)
1
: an act of inflating : the state of being inflated
2
: a continual increase in the price of goods and services

More from Merriam-Webster on inflation

Nglish: Translation of inflation for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of inflation for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about inflation

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Absent Letters That Are Heard Anyway
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

The Words of the Week - June 7

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

9 Superb Owl Words

10 Words for Lesser-Known Games and Sports

Etymologies for Every Day of the Week
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A crossword with a twist
winning words from the national spelling bee logo
Spelling Bee Quiz Can you outdo past winners of the National Spelli...