balloon

American  

[buh-loon] / bəˈlun /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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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

balloon Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing balloon

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

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of balloon

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

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, household bank deposits have ballooned to record levels in recent years.

From MarketWatch

Higher electricity bills, along with rising home insurance costs and property taxes, add to the ballooning cost of homeownership.

From The Wall Street Journal

However, prices still remain relatively high by historical standards, debts have ballooned, and billpayers are being urged to shop around for further savings.

From BBC

A balloon seller says she refuses to serve customers who intend to release them due to the environmental impact and danger to wildlife.

From BBC

So did a Virginia state sales-and-use tax exemption that ballooned to about $1.6 billion statewide last year, according to advocacy group Good Jobs First.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• enlarge
• expand
• inflate
• swell