Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - inflate

~ v 1 if you inflate something, or if it inflates, it fills with air or gas so that it becomes larger  (It took us half an hour to inflate the dinghy. | Her life jacket failed to inflate.) 2 to make something seem more important or impressive than it is  (Our egos were already inflated by success.) 3 technical to make prices increase  (The sudden influx of Westerners has inflated house prices out of all proportion.)