deflating

verb

present participle of deflate
1
as in collapsing
to become smaller in size or volume due to loss of contents We kept her birthday decorations up until the balloons started deflating.

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2
as in emptying
to make smaller in size or volume by removing the contents Please deflate the air mattress and fold it up before you leave.

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3
as in declining
to make or become lower in amount or value The excess supply deflated prices. The company's stock has deflated.

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4
as in undermining
to cause to lose force or effectiveness Her cutting remark deflated his ego. The lawsuit deflated their hopes for a quick resolution.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deflating Will tonight cement the Bass-Raman trilogy as an electoral classic — or end it on a deflating note? — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 Despite some promise across its eight episodes, the Prime original series builds to a deflating conclusion that dooms the entire project. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026 Europe has long charged Beijing with deflating the yuan, by perhaps as much as 30%, and pursuing a policy of industrial overcapacity that harms European industries. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2026 Stop sticks were deployed, which were successful in deflating one or more of the Subaru’s tires, according to investigators with the Office of Inspector General. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2026 One notable rotation adjustment following Sunday's deflating loss was the flip in minutes between Sophie Cunningham and rookie Raven Johnson. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026 Wild indri lemurs, the only species of lemur known to sing, project sounds more like a deflating balloon than Bizet, but those vocalizations can travel through a thick forest. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026 This walk-off rescued the Guardians from a deflating defeat that would have delivered a seismic blow to their AL Central chances. — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 But instead of settling for a deflating draw, Boise flipped the switch, starting attacking again and emerged with all three points. — Idaho Statesman, 9 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflating
  1. collapsing
  2. emptying
  3. declining
  4. undermining
  5. dripping
  6. draining
  7. reducing
  8. weakening
Verb
  • Musk did not understand that in India, as in much of the world, trust in America is collapsing.
    — Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Pushing the ball in transition, George made contact with Detroit guard Duncan Robinson before dramatically collapsing to the floor in an Oscar-worthy attempt to bait a whistle.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of collapsing
Verb
  • Cringe names our ethical recognition of the stakes of emptying out these words.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Rioters clashed with police, looted stores and set property on fire in central Milan on Saturday, emptying Piazza del Duomo and a luxury shopping arcade when the area would usually be teeming with shoppers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of emptying
Verb
  • Chinese firms have been suffering from declining profit growth amid intense competition that has eroded margins and even invited the government to step in.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
  • While program closures at colleges and universities often result from declining enrollment or a financial crisis, our decisions at Valencia are driven by neither.
    — Kathleen Plinske, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of declining
Verb
  • Both fringe and mainstream conservatives have portrayed Indian Americans as stealing high-paying tech jobs from white workers and undermining American unity.
    — Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Chapek made Iger a starring character in his own memoir, blaming him for undermining his leadership after selecting him for the top job.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of undermining
Verb
  • She’s surrounded by a herd of horses and dripping in confidence.
    — Robert Lang, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026
  • At the denouement, Kember is completely alone, his flat, narcotized baritone dripping onto the faded guitar notes like melted mercury.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of dripping
Verb
  • That means removing plants, mud and debris from boats, trailers and equipment; draining water from compartments; and allowing equipment to dry completely.
    — Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Secretly draining shared savings or hiding major debt are obvious betrayals.
    — Jenna Ryu, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of draining
Verb
  • Climate policies are reducing emissions Since the adoption of the Paris Agreement just over a decade ago, global renewable electricity capacity has grown three times faster than anticipated, while solar PV build-out has increased seven times faster.
    — Simmone Shah, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The filter also makes the page look like a poster left too long in the sun, washing it out and reducing contrast compared to monochrome e-readers.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of reducing
Verb
  • OpenAI disclosed a pair of safety incidents that involved AI agents weakening their safety monitoring systems during internal coding tasks.
    — Emma Roth, The Verge, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, weakening brand loyalty threatens an advantage established manufacturers have relied on for decades.
    — Matthew Tan, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of weakening

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Cite this Entry

“Deflating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflating. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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