INFLATE

v. 1 blow up, balloon, expand, dilate, enlarge, swell, pump up, puff up or out, distend We inflated two plastic bags to use as floats 2 boost, increase The price of the company's shares was inflated by rumours of a take-over bid 3 exaggerate, amplify, magnify, blow up He tends to inflate to huge proportions the small contribution he made to the project