inflict
verb /ɪnˈflɪkt/
/ɪnˈflɪkt/
Verb Forms
Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they inflict | /ɪnˈflɪkt/ /ɪnˈflɪkt/ |
| he / she / it inflicts | /ɪnˈflɪkts/ /ɪnˈflɪkts/ |
| past simple inflicted | /ɪnˈflɪktɪd/ /ɪnˈflɪktɪd/ |
| past participle inflicted | /ɪnˈflɪktɪd/ /ɪnˈflɪktɪd/ |
| -ing form inflicting | /ɪnˈflɪktɪŋ/ /ɪnˈflɪktɪŋ/ |
- to make somebody/something suffer something unpleasant
- inflict something on/upon somebody/something They inflicted a humiliating defeat on the home team.
- Heavy casualties were inflicted on the enemy.
- (humorous) Do you have to inflict that music on us?
- inflict something They surveyed the damage inflicted by the storm.
- The rodent’s sharp teeth can inflict a nasty bite.
- When someone deliberately inflicts damage, it is a matter for the police.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- deliberately
- intentionally
- on
- upon
Word Originmid 16th cent. (in the sense ‘afflict, trouble’): from Latin inflict- ‘struck against’, from the verb infligere, from in- ‘into’ + fligere ‘to strike’.