conflate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has conflatedperfect 3rd person singular
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have conflatedperfect
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has been conflatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is conflatingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are conflatingprogressive
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have been conflatingperfect progressive
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conflatessingular 3rd person
-
conflatingparticiple
-
am conflatingprogressive 1st person singular
Past
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had conflatedperfect
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had been conflatingperfect progressive
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was conflatingprogressive singular
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conflatedsimple
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were conflatingprogressive plural
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conflatedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of conflate
First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin conflātus “fused together,” past participle of conflāre “to fuse together,” from con- con- + flāre “to blow” ( see also blow 2)
Explanation
Conflate is a more formal way to say "mix together," and it's typically used for texts or ideas. You probably wouldn't say you conflated the ingredients for a cake, but if you blended two different stories together to make a new one, conflate would work. The verb conflate comes to us from the Latin word conflare, which literally means "to blow together." So think of using this word when you want to talk about two things getting thrown together and combined. Things that have been conflated often seem mixed up or confused. In fact, this word is also now sometimes used to mean "confuse or mix up."
Vocabulary lists containing conflate
Power Prefix: con-
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100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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Four Power Prefixes: anti-, con-, inter-, and uni-.
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"People want to conflate that we have global obligations with the turning of our backs to this region," he said, denying that was the case.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
The other issue is your letter appears to conflate separate legal roles.
From MarketWatch • May 25, 2026
You see this sort of language used when people conflate various definitions of globalism.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026
He said the media and advocates often conflate “solitary confinement” with what he termed restrictive housing, where people are sometimes put under mental health observation, for medical reasons or during investigations.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2025
It has become awkwardly combined with VI into a conflate narrative, as is shown by the silence about the fox in LA.
From The Latin & Irish Lives of Ciaran Translations Of Christian Literature. Series V. Lives Of The Celtic Saints by MacAlister, R.A. Stewart
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
