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
District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said that, based on new information, the charges were upgraded to assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, inflicting serious injury, according to The News & Observer.
—
Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 4 July 2025
There is no single, simple solution to the exploitation and dehumanization inflicted on Black people in this country.
—Tim Ryan, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 July 2025
The Fort Lauderdale Police Bomb Squad demonstrated the potential harm fireworks can inflict on the human body, using explosives similar to an M-80 on a paint can, cantaloupe, and watermelon.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2025
Attempting to assault a federal officer and inflict bodily injury is punishable by a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for inflict
Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 4 July 2025
There is no single, simple solution to the exploitation and dehumanization inflicted on Black people in this country.
—Tim Ryan, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 July 2025
The Fort Lauderdale Police Bomb Squad demonstrated the potential harm fireworks can inflict on the human body, using explosives similar to an M-80 on a paint can, cantaloupe, and watermelon.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2025
Attempting to assault a federal officer and inflict bodily injury is punishable by a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for inflict
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflict
Verb
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For months, Trump had threatened, but held off on, imposing new sanctions against Russia's oil industry.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
14 July 2025
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Several communities — including Highland Park, Schaumburg, Glen Ellyn and Lombard — have recently imposed age limits on riders, while Burr Ridge has banned e-scooters from its streets.—
Paulina Czupryna,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
Verb
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The idea, in both cases, is to create revenue by taxing rich people and use the money to pay for other initiatives.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
14 July 2025
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The Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin is creating a new business incubator program with a $100,000 grant from Main Street America.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
Verb
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Initially, the plant’s staff was overwhelmed, forcing Motorola to briefly backtrack on its promise to deliver phones to customers within four days.—
Verne Kopytoff,
Fortune,
5 July 2025
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Frankie Grande was forced to compete alone in a two person Battle of the Block Competition when his teammate Caleb abandoned him and sat out.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
5 July 2025
Verb
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There's also a Lucchese boot boutique in the lobby, so every guest can snag a pair to bring home as the ultimate Texas souvenir.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
8 July 2025
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The novel slowly and luxuriously develops the changes that the quartet’s Italian travel brings.—
Claire Jarvis,
New Yorker,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inflict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflict. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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