inflicted; inflicting; inflicts
1
a
: to give by or as if by striking
inflict a painful sting
inflict damage
b
: to cause (something unpleasant) to be endured
… inflict my annual message upon the church itself if it might derive benefit thereby.—
Mark Twain
Mark Twain2
: afflict
Examples of inflict in a Sentence
These insects are capable of inflicting a painful sting.
Recent Examples on the Web
Because California is overly reliant on high-wealth individuals paying the lion’s share of income tax revenue in the form of stock options and capital gains, even a modest national recession would inflict disproportionate pain here.
—Jon Coupal, Orange County Register, 12 Aug. 2024
The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families and first responders.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 10 Aug. 2024
The Civil Rights era inflicted particularly severe wounds upon Cairo’s Black community as white business owners, refusing integration, abandoned the town.
—Molly Parker, ProPublica, 9 Aug. 2024
Guerrieri was found not liable by the jury Monday but Cross was found to have obtained an involuntary confession and intentionally inflicted emotional distress, Loevy said.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for inflict 
Jon Coupal, Orange County Register, 12 Aug. 2024
The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families and first responders.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 10 Aug. 2024
The Civil Rights era inflicted particularly severe wounds upon Cairo’s Black community as white business owners, refusing integration, abandoned the town.
—Molly Parker, ProPublica, 9 Aug. 2024
Guerrieri was found not liable by the jury Monday but Cross was found to have obtained an involuntary confession and intentionally inflicted emotional distress, Loevy said.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for inflict
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inflict.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near inflict
Cite this Entry
“Inflict.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inflict. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
inflict
verb
in·flict
in-ˈflikt 
1
: to give by or as if by striking
inflict a wound
2
: to cause (something damaging or painful) to be endured
inflict punishment
infliction
noun
-ˈflik-shən
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