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ballon d'essai

[ ba-lawn de-se ]
/ ba lɔ̃ dɛˈsɛ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR ballon d'essai

noun, plural bal·lons d'es·sai [ba-lawn de-se]. /ba lɔ̃ dɛˈsɛ/. French.

trial balloon.

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Words nearby ballon d'essai

ballocks, ball of fire, ball of foot, ball of wax, ballon, ballon d'essai, ballonet, ballonné, balloon, balloon angioplasty, balloon barrage
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to ballon d'essai

feeler, barometer, pilot balloon

British Dictionary definitions for ballon d'essai

ballon d'essai
/ (bæˈlõ dɛˈseɪ) /

noun plural ballons d'essai (bæˈlõ dɛˈseɪ)

a project or policy put forward experimentally to gauge reactions to itCompare trial balloon

Word Origin for ballon d'essai

C19: from French, literally: trial balloon
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