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

/ bəˈluːn /

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

4. 1. a kick or stroke that propels a ball high into the air

   2. ( as modifier )

      a balloon shot

5. chem a round-bottomed flask

6. a large rounded brandy glass

7. commerce

   1. a large sum paid as an irregular instalment of a loan repayment

   2. ( as modifier )

      a balloon loan

8. surgery

   1. an inflatable plastic tube used for dilating obstructed blood vessels or parts of the alimentary canal

   2. ( as modifier )

      balloon angioplasty

9. informal,  to be completely unsuccessful or unpopular

10. informal,  when the trouble or action begins

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

Other Word Forms

• balloonlike adjective
• ballooning noun
• balloon-like adjective
• balloonist noun

Word 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

Word 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

Idioms and Phrases

• go over (like a lead balloon)
• trial balloon

Example Sentences

In recent years, restaurants have struggled to raise prices enough to cover ballooning costs.

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At AMC, orange and green balloon sculptures—the color scheme of Swift’s album—arched over theater door entrances.

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Along with fighting crime, Sliwa’s campaign promises include a novel concept for tackling the city’s ballooning rat problem.

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Across the country, adults are embracing their youthful side to the extreme, gathering in parks to toss water balloons, play tug of war and hop around in competitive sack races.

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Wall Street has pointed to this move as evidence that ballooning debt and uncomfortably high inflation are disrupting the outlook for currencies underpinning the global financial system.

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Related Words

• enlarge 
• expand 
• inflate 
• swell