What does reinflate mean?
Reinflate means to inflate something again, usually after it has been deflated or has lost air. The most familiar example is reinflating a tire that has gone flat; the word can also describe restoring a balloon, ball, or other inflatable object after air has escaped. In less frequent figurative use, reinflate can mean to restore something to an earlier level of expansion, size, or activity. It is formed by adding the prefix re-, meaning “again,” to inflate. Although inflate is often used more generally for putting air into a tire or filling an object with gas, reinflate is the more precise term when the object was already inflated and has since lost air or volume.
verbTo inflate again, especially a tire, ball, balloon, or other object that has been deflated or has lost air. It can also mean to restore something to a previous level of expansion.
- To inflate something again after it has been deflated or has lost air.
- To restore something to a previous level of expansion or volume.
"We stopped to reinflate the tire after the pressure warning appeared."
"The driver used the emergency kit to reinflate the tire."
"The committee met to reinflate the proposal after months of discussion."
A flat tire is one of the clearest reminders that “inflate” and “reinflate” are different ideas: one adds air, while the other puts back what was lost.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does reinflate come from?
Reinflate is a modern formation in English, combining the prefix re-, meaning “again,” with inflate. Inflate comes from Latin inflare, “to blow into,” with the sense of swelling or filling with air. The Latin root also underlies inflation, inflated, and inflatable, which share the idea of expansion or being made full.
Related word forms
How reinflate is actually used
Reinflate is most commonly used for tires and inflatable objects. Its figurative use is possible but less frequent, and the prefix re- indicates repetition rather than a change in the basic meaning of inflate.
Easily confused with reinflate
Inflate means to make something larger or give it air for the first time, whereas reinflate means to do so again after it has been deflated or lost air.