ballon

or ba·lon

[ French ba-lawn ]

nounBallet.

the lightness and grace of movement that make a dancer appear buoyant.

Origin of ballon

First recorded in 1820–30; from French: literally, “balloon” (see balloon), describing a dancer who appeared to be floating in the air while executing a jump or other movement

Words Nearby ballon

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ballon in a sentence

“Taking 20 pages of a book not released yet is less likely to be deemed fair use,” ballon said.
The Legal Brawl Over Palin's Book | Shushannah Walshe | November 22, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
After lunch, we strolled along the Boulevard du Jeu-de-ballon, the tramway street.
Riviera Towns | Herbert Adams Gibbons
From Belfort to ballon d'Alsace there is a rise of some four thousand feet.
Winged Wheels in France | Michael Myers Shoemaker
And in the early morning she had sent her note to Kitty—a ballon d'essai, despatched in a horror of great fear.
The Marriage of William Ashe | Mrs. Humphry Ward
And it was at this period that the expedient of the ballon sonde, or unmanned balloon, was happily thought of.
The Dominion of the Air | J. M. Bacon

In the autumn of 1916 the newspapers put forth a ballon d'essai.
Paris Vistas | Helen Davenport Gibbons

Browse