as in to impose
to cause someone to accept or experience something unwanted
The criminal inflicted a lifetime of distress on his unsuspecting victims.
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Recent Examples of inflict
Stalin invaded in November of 1939, expecting a quick takeover, but the Finns inflicted many times more casualties on the Soviets before eventually ceding 11 percent of their territory and partial control over their foreign affairs.
—
Boris Fishman, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
The long-term damage that an unqualified, incompetent, compromised or immoral — but superpowered — mayor can inflict on the city is too great.
—Steven Falk, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
The Port Authority’s deputy executive director role had been vacant since 2013’s Bridgegate scandal in 2013, when then-Deputy Director Bill Baroni became embroiled in the Chris Christie-era plot to inflict a traffic nightmare on the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, NJ.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026
But Escobedo quickly acknowledged that there’s nothing to stop the thieves from coming back, and inflicting the same harm.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inflict
Boris Fishman, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
The long-term damage that an unqualified, incompetent, compromised or immoral — but superpowered — mayor can inflict on the city is too great.
—Steven Falk, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
The Port Authority’s deputy executive director role had been vacant since 2013’s Bridgegate scandal in 2013, when then-Deputy Director Bill Baroni became embroiled in the Chris Christie-era plot to inflict a traffic nightmare on the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, NJ.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026
But Escobedo quickly acknowledged that there’s nothing to stop the thieves from coming back, and inflicting the same harm.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inflict
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflict
Verb
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Amid the ongoing militarized clampdown and a de facto nighttime curfew imposed in major cities, large-scale mass protests are no longer taking place.—
Hamid Kashani,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2026
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Whether Kevin Warsh can navigate a graceful exit from the Fed’s extraordinary interventions—or whether markets will impose their own solution would be the defining question of his tenure.—
Daniel J. Arbess,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Armchair analysis fills the space that is created by the absence of available facts.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
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Another measure, House Bill 1645, would create state versions of FEMA programs as Mississippi officials prepare for reduced federal disaster support.—
ALEX ROZIER Mississippi Today,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Beijing’s national security law has transformed Hong Kong, with authorities jailing dozens of dissidents; forcing civil society groups and outspoken media outlets to disband; and neutering the city’s once-raucous political scene.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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The defense forced three turnovers, Jason Myers kicked a Super Bowl-record five field goals, and running back Kenneth Walker III rushed for 135 yards to earn most valuable player as the Seahawks finished the season with 10 consecutive victories.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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McCarthy warned that being too quick to bring untested criminal cases against political adversaries risks damaging institutional legitimacy regardless of which party is in power.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
15 Feb. 2026
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The government brought forward major reforms and bans on assault-style weapons after the country suffered its worst-ever shooting attack in 2020, when a man impersonating a police officer killed 22 people in northern Nova Scotia.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inflict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflict. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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