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View synonyms for

balloon

[ buh-loon ]

noun

  1. a bag made of thin rubber or other light material, usually brightly colored, inflated with air or with some lighter-than-air gas and used as a children's plaything or as a decoration.
  2. a bag made of a light material, as silk or plastic, filled with heated air or a gas lighter than air, designed to rise and float in the atmosphere and often having a car or gondola attached below for carrying passengers or scientific instruments.
  3. (in drawings, cartoons, etc.) a balloon-shaped outline enclosing words represented as issuing from the mouth of the speaker.
  4. an ornamental ball at the top of a pillar, pier, or the like.
  5. a large, globular wineglass.
  6. Chemistry Now Rare. a round-bottomed flask.


verb (used without object)

  1. to go up or ride in a balloon.
  2. to swell or puff out like a balloon.
  3. to multiply or increase at a rapid rate:

    Membership has ballooned beyond all expectations.

verb (used with object)

  1. to fill with air; inflate or distend (something) like a balloon.

adjective

  1. puffed out like a balloon:

    balloon sleeves.

  2. Finance. (of a loan, mortgage, or the like) having a payment at the end of the term that is much bigger than previous ones.

balloon

/ əˈː /

noun

  1. an inflatable rubber bag of various sizes, shapes, and colours: usually used as a plaything or party decoration
  2. a large impermeable bag inflated with a lighter-than-air gas, designed to rise and float in the atmosphere. It may have a basket or gondola for carrying passengers, etc See also barrage balloon hot-air balloon
  3. a circular or elliptical figure containing the words or thoughts of a character in a cartoon
    1. a kick or stroke that propels a ball high into the air
    2. ( as modifier )

      a balloon shot

  4. chem a round-bottomed flask
  5. a large rounded brandy glass
  6. commerce
    1. a large sum paid as an irregular instalment of a loan repayment
    2. ( as modifier )

      a balloon loan

  7. surgery
    1. an inflatable plastic tube used for dilating obstructed blood vessels or parts of the alimentary canal
    2. ( as modifier )

      balloon angioplasty

  8. go down like a lead balloon informal.
    to be completely unsuccessful or unpopular
  9. when the balloon goes up informal.
    when the trouble or action begins
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. intr to go up or fly in a balloon
  2. intr to increase or expand significantly and rapidly

    losses ballooned to £278 million

  3. to inflate or be inflated; distend; swell

    the wind ballooned the sails

  4. tr to propel (a ball) high into the air
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈǴDzԾԲ, noun
  • ˈǴDz-ˌ, adjective
  • ˈǴDzԾ, noun
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Other yvlog Forms

  • ·ǴDzl adjective
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of balloon1

1570–80; < Upper Italian ballone, equivalent to ball ( a ) (< Langobardic; ball 1 ) + -one augmentative suffix; or < Middle French ballon < Upper Italian
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of balloon1

C16 (in the sense: ball, ball game): from Italian dialect ballone , from balla , of Germanic origin; compare Old High German balla ball 1
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Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with balloon , also see go over (like a lead balloon) ; trial balloon .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Republicans are pushing tax cuts that would balloon America’s debt by $4.6 trillion over the next decade in order to funnel money back to the wealthy.

From

They were tasked with parachuting into Pacific Northwest forests to fight wildfires ignited by Japanese balloon bombs launched into North America from across the Pacific Ocean.

From

But on mayonnaise day, standing with a balloon whisk and silver bowl, I assumed I knew what was coming.

From

In March, the court heard he was seen with a balloon at his mouth.

From

Half the time, Black’s dialogue is just announcing what we’re looking at, from diamond swords to flying hot air balloons that look like goth squids.

From

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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.

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