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# inflict

verb (inflict, inflicts, inflicted, inflicting)

«inflict» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To inflict something bad, like pain, harm, damage or punishment, is to make someone or something suffer it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inflict/#m1)
2. (humorous) To inflict something on someone is to make them put up with something unwanted, like bad singing. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inflict/#m2)

### In the lessons

A formal word in news, history and safety: storms inflict damage, armies inflict defeats, people must not inflict pain on animals. It tells the reader who caused the harm. Phrases: inflict damage on, inflict pain on, inflict a defeat, self-inflicted.

### Examples

- The storm inflicted serious damage on the town. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inflict/#x1)
- It is cruel to inflict pain on animals. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inflict/#x2)
- The team inflicted a heavy defeat on their rivals. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inflict/#x3)
- The punishment inflicted on the thief was a big fine. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inflict/#x4)
- Dad inflicted his terrible jokes on us all through dinner. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inflict/#x5)
- The wound was self-inflicted — he cut himself by accident. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inflict/#x6)
- The hail inflicted damage on the cars. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inflict/#x7)
- Then there was the dancer, who inflicted the wound which has caused me to be here now; she was very violent! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inflict/#x8)

### Note

Always «inflict something on/upon someone». Regular verb: inflicted. Noun: infliction. Do not confuse with «afflict» (to make someone suffer; the illness afflicts the person, but the person inflicts harm on someone).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «inflict» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inflict/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«inflict» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/inflict.html) on Mova free.