deflates

Deflates is the third-person singular present form of the verb deflate. Deflate means to remove air or gas from something, or to cause it to lose air, pressure, or volume. Objects commonly deflated include balloons, tires, inflatable devices, and airbags.

In everyday language, deflate can describe letting air escape intentionally or gradually; it can also denote shrinking or flattening of a surface due to pressure release. The term is used across various contexts to describe a reduction in pressure or volume resulting from air loss.

In economics, deflation refers to a sustained decrease in the general price level of goods and services. The verb to deflate is used in phrases such as "to deflate the money supply" or "to deflate prices," though economists typically discuss deflation as a phenomenon rather than as a verb. Deflationary policies aim to reduce inflationary pressure, often via tighter monetary policy or reduced aggregate demand.

In computing and data compression, deflate refers to a lossless compression algorithm that combines LZ77 with Huffman coding. It is the basis for the DEFLATE method used in formats and protocols such as gzip, zlib, and ZIP files. Deflate-based compression is widely implemented due to its balance of compression ratio and speed.