How to Use inflict in a Sentence

inflict

verb
Definition of inflictnext
Synonyms for inflictnext
  • These insects are capable of inflicting a painful sting.
  • Over the course of 30 years the United States has inflicted grave damage on Iraq.
    — Steven Simon and Adam Weinstein, Foreign Affairs, 27 Sep. 2023
  • And so, to shut down the government would inflict pain on the American people.
    — Megan Barnes, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2023
  • Georgia inflicted the first loss, with Texas A&M dealing out the next four.
    — Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 25 Aug. 2023
  • For Israel, the onslaught is all downstream of the horror inflicted by Hamas on Oct. 7.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2023
  • Tonight, Davis was only the enemy of the state, on a mission to inflict memorable harm.
    — Tyler R. Tynes, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2023
  • The key for union leaders would be to find the strategy that will inflict the most pain on the company while doing the least damage to the union's $825 million strike fund.
    — Jamie L. Lareau, The Courier-Journal, 23 Aug. 2023
  • But if a special counsel must be inflicted, David Weiss is uniquely unfit for the job.
    — William McGurn, WSJ, 21 Aug. 2023
  • Dry stun refers to the use of a taser on a person to inflict pain without incapacitating the person.
    — Davi Merchan, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2023
  • There has been no confirmation of any of these strikes or claims of any damage inflicted.
    — WIRED, 21 Oct. 2023
  • The firms may risk the departure of talented dealmakers if the changes inflict even more pain during rough times such as last year.
    — Dawn Lim, Fortune, 12 Feb. 2024
  • It could have also been inflicted with a long-range projectile like a throwing spear or dart.
    — Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 21 Dec. 2023
  • Unable to let go of their vehicle face-off, the rivals go to drastic lengths to inflict harm on the other and fulfill their hunger for revenge.
    — Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2023
  • But little was ever said about the torments that Joseph Stalin inflicted on Ukraine.
    — Simon Shuster, TIME, 4 Jan. 2024
  • For Native tribes, the loss of the remains and cultural items still inflicts significant pain.
    — Michael Casey, Anchorage Daily News, 15 May 2023
  • Even a third party who disputes someone’s account of being gaslit is threatening to inflict the same harm as the gaslighter.
    — Leslie Jamison, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
  • As the storm bore down, nearby trees including thick oaks snapped and fell, some brushing against the windows of his house but not inflicting a direct strike.
    — WSJ, 31 Aug. 2023
  • The Soviet era was inflicted on them and counts, to them, as an aberration in their history.
    — Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023
  • Compared to handguns, AR-15s inflict much more damage to human tissue because of the faster speed at which the rifles fire bullets.
    — Jon Schuppe, NBC News, 14 May 2023
  • Still, time inflicts insults in myriad ways, both small and—increasingly over the years—large.
    — Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2024
  • The parasite can continue to inflict damage for years, leading to long-term scarring in its wake.
    — Alexander Tin, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2023
  • The bomblets then explode into metal fragments that can tear off limbs and inflict fatal injuries.
    — John Hudson and Anastacia Galouchka, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Aug. 2023
  • Also, the margin for error is small, and the risk of inflicting a maiming wound is significant.
    — Michael Dickerson, Outdoor Life, 10 Apr. 2023
  • The Second World War inflicted a different wound, one that cut deeper.
    — Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023
  • Accidental gun deaths in the next oldest group of children, ages 6 to 10 years old, were more likely to be inflicted by someone else.
    — Alexander Tin, CBS News, 14 Dec. 2023
  • Turner always knew the pain — whether it was inflicted by Ike, the mistreatment and harassment in the media and the press, or her own personal vices — would flee from her.
    — Taylor Crumpton, refinery29.com, 26 May 2023
  • The guide was for use by agents to recruit potential foreign saboteurs (U.S. sympathizers) and to give those folks the means to inflict sabotage and help the Allies win the war.
    — Mark Murphy, Forbes, 26 Mar. 2023
  • Shopping for groceries should inflict less pain on Americans' pocketbooks in the year ahead.
    — Kate Gibson, CBS News, 15 Nov. 2023
  • Scores are a combination of scope, or how widespread a problem is, and severity, or the level of harm inflicted.
    — Ruth Talbot, ProPublica, 18 July 2023
  • In addition to its horrific human toll, the war in Ukraine has inflicted widespread damage on the nation’s forests.
    — Byapril Reese, science.org, 19 Apr. 2023

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

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