How to Use inflict in a Sentence

inflict

verb
Definition of inflictnext
Synonyms for inflictnext
  • These insects are capable of inflicting a painful sting.
  • It’s built around guns, knives, fists and pure will: anything that can inflict instant death.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 13 Mar. 2023
  • But the rebound remains small compared to the scale of the losses inflicted in recent days.
    — Maureen Farrell, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2023
  • Javelinas can inflict serious wounds and cause injuries.
    — Ellie Willard, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2023
  • Large-scale invasions inflict an enormous number of casualties, and progress can often be measured in yards.
    — Craig Hooper, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023
  • The pup’s abusive owner inflicted multiple injuries on the dog before turning him out onto Ottawa’s streets a few years ago.
    — Vivien Fellegi, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr. 2024
  • Less than a month after the shooting, he was sued by two crew members who accused him and other producers of assault and inflicting emotional distress.
    — Samantha Chery, Washington Post, 9 July 2024
  • The first is to continue to engage in a monetary squeeze to fight inflation while inflicting pain on the commercial-banking system.
    — Steve H. Hanke, National Review, 22 Mar. 2023
  • The loss of life and innocence and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 30 July 2024
  • The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 30 July 2024
  • Repairing the damage the Roberts court has inflicted on the nation will take years or even decades, and may be preceded by unprecedented abuses.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2024
  • Many of the specific instances of abuse outlined in Fay's report were inflicted on Iraqi police officers who were thought to have been involved in smuggling a gun into the prison.
    — Matthew Barakat, Quartz, 17 Apr. 2024
  • Over the course of 30 years the United States has inflicted grave damage on Iraq.
    — Steven Simon and Adam Weinstein, Foreign Affairs, 27 Sep. 2023
  • And so, to shut down the government would inflict pain on the American people.
    — Megan Barnes, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2023
  • Georgia inflicted the first loss, with Texas A&M dealing out the next four.
    — Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 25 Aug. 2023
  • For Israel, the onslaught is all downstream of the horror inflicted by Hamas on Oct. 7.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2023
  • Tonight, Davis was only the enemy of the state, on a mission to inflict memorable harm.
    — Tyler R. Tynes, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2023
  • On May 2, the rider died of the injuries inflicted in the accident and was pronounced deceased.
    — Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 6 May 2024
  • The key for union leaders would be to find the strategy that will inflict the most pain on the company while doing the least damage to the union's $825 million strike fund.
    — Jamie L. Lareau, The Courier-Journal, 23 Aug. 2023
  • But if a special counsel must be inflicted, David Weiss is uniquely unfit for the job.
    — William McGurn, WSJ, 21 Aug. 2023
  • Dry stun refers to the use of a taser on a person to inflict pain without incapacitating the person.
    — Davi Merchan, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2023
  • There has been no confirmation of any of these strikes or claims of any damage inflicted.
    — WIRED, 21 Oct. 2023
  • The firms may risk the departure of talented dealmakers if the changes inflict even more pain during rough times such as last year.
    — Dawn Lim, Fortune, 12 Feb. 2024
  • Advertisement The lawsuit does not name the two girls — ages 10 and 13 — but highlights the torture inflicted on the younger sister.
    — Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2024
  • It could have also been inflicted with a long-range projectile like a throwing spear or dart.
    — Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 21 Dec. 2023
  • Unable to let go of their vehicle face-off, the rivals go to drastic lengths to inflict harm on the other and fulfill their hunger for revenge.
    — Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2023
  • But little was ever said about the torments that Joseph Stalin inflicted on Ukraine.
    — Simon Shuster, TIME, 4 Jan. 2024
  • For Native tribes, the loss of the remains and cultural items still inflicts significant pain.
    — Michael Casey, Anchorage Daily News, 15 May 2023
  • In some prior outbreaks, the virus inflicted a case-fatality rate of more than fifty per cent.
    — Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 5 May 2024
  • Even a third party who disputes someone’s account of being gaslit is threatening to inflict the same harm as the gaslighter.
    — Leslie Jamison, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024

Some of 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.

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