1 conflate | Definition of conflate
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conflate

verb
con·​flate | \ kən-ˈflāt How to pronounce conflate (audio) \
conflated; conflating

Definition of conflate

transitive verb

1a : to bring together : fuse
b : confuse
2 : to combine (things, such as two readings of a text) into a composite whole The editor conflated the two texts. … a city of conflated races and cultures …— Earl Shorris
Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about conflate

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Did You Know?

We're not just blowing hot air when we tell you that conflate can actually be traced back to the same roots as the English verb blow. Conflate derives from conflatus, the past participle of the Latin verb conflare ("to blow together, to fuse"), which was formed by combining the prefix com- with the verb flare, meaning "to blow." The source of Latin flare is the same ancient root word that gave us blow. Other descendants of flare in English include afflatus ("a divine imparting of knowledge or power"), inflate, insufflation ("an act of blowing"), and flageolet (a kind of small flute-the flageolet referring to a green kidney bean is unrelated).

Examples of conflate in a Sentence

be careful not to conflate gossip with real news the movie conflates documentary footage and dramatized reenactments so seamlessly and ingeniously that viewers may not know what is real and what is not

Recent Examples on the Web

 There have been several popular biographies—most recently Janet Gleeson’s The Moneymaker (1999)—that are rollicking reads, but all suffer from a tendency to conflate fact with legend. — Edward Chancellor, The New York Review of Books, "The Man Who Invented Money," 18 Apr. 2019 Biden, for his part, has a clear interest in conflating these two things. — John Cassidy, The New Yorker, "Where Do Trump and the Democrats Stand as the Summer Recess Arrives?," 3 Aug. 2019 These songs conflate his newfound responsibilities as a husband and father with memories of childhood innocence, a mix that humanizes the rapper even as his career transcends music. — Greg Kot, chicagotribune.com, "Review: Chance the Rapper’s new ‘The Big Day’," 26 July 2019 The judges conflate partisanship, past voting and political views. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "North Carolina’s Gerrymander Coup," 30 Aug. 2018 These national ecological footprint calculations also conflate sustainability with self-sufficiency. — Robert B. Richardson, The Conversation, "Resource depletion is a serious problem, but ‘footprint’ estimates don’t tell us much about it," 24 July 2019 This should not be conflated with heat exhaustion, which is concerning but can likely be cured by cooling off in the shade and drinking water. — Jordan Wilkerson, Dallas News, "Scorching heatwaves projected to get more intense and more frequent in Dallas, study says," 16 July 2019 This artist’s work, in a Bauhaus vein, always conflates art and architecture. — Cate Mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, "Artist digs into Bauhaus history at Harvard," 19 June 2019 Trump isn’t alone in conflating the trade war with technology. — Tim Culpan, latimes.com, "Easing Huawei restrictions may help trade, but won’t stop the China tech battle," 1 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conflate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of conflate

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for conflate

Latin conflatus, past participle of conflare to blow together, fuse, from com- + flare to blow — more at blow

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More from Merriam-Webster on conflate

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with conflate

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for conflate

Britannica English: Translation of conflate for Arabic Speakers

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