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Definition of inflict verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

inflict

verb
 
/ɪnˈflɪkt/
 
/ɪnˈflɪkt/
Verb Forms
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/
Phrasal Verbs
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  1. 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
    preposition
    • on
    • upon
    See full entry
    Word Originmid 16th cent. (in the sense ‘afflict, trouble’): from Latin inflict- ‘struck against’, from the verb infligere, from in- ‘into’ + fligere ‘to strike’.
See inflict in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee inflict in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
trait
noun
 
 
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