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
Attacking more often, and with heavier munitions, might inflict lasting damage.
—David Axe, Forbes, 26 Mar. 2025
Barnes is seeking $5 million in damages, citing ongoing trauma and the emotional harm inflicted upon her and her family.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 26 Mar. 2025
As the film explores, Asahara and his followers orchestrated a deadly 1995 sarin gas attack on Tokyo’s subway system that was part of a much larger plot to inflict casualties on a massive scale.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2025
There’s currently no US law that explicitly protects users from harm inflicted by AI chatbots.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inflict
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David Axe, Forbes, 26 Mar. 2025
Barnes is seeking $5 million in damages, citing ongoing trauma and the emotional harm inflicted upon her and her family.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 26 Mar. 2025
As the film explores, Asahara and his followers orchestrated a deadly 1995 sarin gas attack on Tokyo’s subway system that was part of a much larger plot to inflict casualties on a massive scale.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2025
There’s currently no US law that explicitly protects users from harm inflicted by AI chatbots.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inflict
Cite this Entry
“Inflict.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inflict. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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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