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to overinflate

to overinflate

1 4.5
Fill something with too much air so it may burst
  • verb
  • /ˌoʊvərɪnˈfleɪt/
translation icon : sobreinflar
  • Before the race, make sure the tires are not overinflated to avoid a blowout.

Examples

  • If you overinflate a balloon too much, it will pop unexpectedly.

  • The tires are overinflated.

  • We overinflated our tires at a filling station, against the warnings of the attendant, then continued driving until we found a deserted stretch of beach on the east side of the peninsula, away from the hotels and the tourist police.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • The air mattress was overinflated, making it uncomfortable to sleep on.

Synonyms

to overfill
vsto overinflate
3 3.9

To put too much into something so it spills out

adds too much air or gas causing internal pressure and burst risk
to overexpand
vsto overinflate
1 5.2

To grow too fast and cause serious problems for a business

creates internal pressure by too much air or gas causing burst risk

Antonyms

1.6

To make something smaller in amount, size, or number

18 3.1

To let air out of something so it becomes smaller or loses its shape

How Inflated

to burst
164 1.4
to overinflate
1 4.5
to inflate
44 2.9

Surface Forms

overinflate infinitive
overinflated past participle
overinflating present participle
overinflates third person singular

Morphology

overinflate = inflate (transparent) = over + inflate

The prefix 'over-' meaning 'too much' combines directly with the verb 'inflate' to yield the literal sense 'inflate too much', which is clear to learners.

Etymology

The word overinflate is made of over- meaning 'too much' and inflate meaning 'to fill with air', like an inflatable toy. So, to overinflate something is to put in too much air and risk making it burst.