Deflate – 1. Let air out or gas out of (balloon, tyre etc) 2. Make someone lose confidence or feel disheartened

PRONUNCIATION

(Pronounced dih-flayt)

To remember the definition of the word deflate, use the following mnemonic:

He was flayed eight times (deflate) for hitting the curb so hard that the air came out of the tyres. He lost all confidence and was disheartened from ever asking his Dad for another driving lesson.

Examples of deflate in a sentence (to let air out)

When a nail punctured my tire on the interstate, it caused it to deflate.

Someone decided to deflate the basketballs so we couldn’t use the soft and misshapen balls.

The children jumped on the air bed too much, causing it to deflate.

Examples of deflate in a sentence (dishearten)

The manager would deflate his staff with pointed remarks.

The child was deflated when his birthday party was cancelled.

After their team lost the football match, the fans were deflated.