balloon
Americannoun
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balloons
plural
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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.
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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.
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(in drawings, cartoons, etc.) a balloon-shaped outline enclosing words represented as issuing from the mouth of the speaker.
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an ornamental ball at the top of a pillar, pier, or the like.
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a large, globular wineglass.
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Chemistry Now Rare. a round-bottomed flask.
verb (used without object)
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balloons,
present (3rd person singular)
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ballooned,
past participle, past
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ballooning
present participle
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to go up or ride in a balloon.
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to swell or puff out like a balloon.
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to multiply or increase at a rapid rate.
Membership has ballooned beyond all expectations.
verb (used with object)
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balloons,
present (3rd person singular)
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ballooned,
past participle, past
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ballooning
present participle
adjective
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puffed out like a balloon.
balloon sleeves.
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Finance. (of a loan, mortgage, or the like) having a payment at the end of the term that is much bigger than previous ones.
noun
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an inflatable rubber bag of various sizes, shapes, and colours: usually used as a plaything or party decoration
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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
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a circular or elliptical figure containing the words or thoughts of a character in a cartoon
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a kick or stroke that propels a ball high into the air
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( as modifier )
a balloon shot
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chem a round-bottomed flask
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a large rounded brandy glass
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commerce
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a large sum paid as an irregular instalment of a loan repayment
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( as modifier )
a balloon loan
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surgery
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an inflatable plastic tube used for dilating obstructed blood vessels or parts of the alimentary canal
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( as modifier )
balloon angioplasty
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informal to be completely unsuccessful or unpopular
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informal when the trouble or action begins
verb
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(intr) to go up or fly in a balloon
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(intr) to increase or expand significantly and rapidly
losses ballooned to £278 million
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to inflate or be inflated; distend; swell
the wind ballooned the sails
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(tr) to propel (a ball) high into the air
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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balloonsimple
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balloonssimple
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have balloonedperfect
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has balloonedperfect
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am ballooningprogressive
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are ballooningprogressive
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is ballooningprogressive
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have been ballooningperfect progressive
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has been ballooningperfect progressive
Past
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balloonedsimple
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had balloonedperfect
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was ballooningprogressive
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were ballooningprogressive
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had been ballooningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of balloon
1570–80; < Upper Italian ballone, equivalent to ball ( a ) (< Langobardic; see ball 1) + -one augmentative suffix; or < Middle French ballon < Upper Italian
Explanation
A balloon is a colorful bit of rubber that can be blown up or filled with helium. Many children's parties are decorated with balloons. While most balloons are round, they come in many sizes and shapes. Balloon artists twist long, thin balloons together to form animals, hats, and other items, and Mylar balloons are made from a kind of thin, metallic paper. Much larger balloons include hot air balloons and weather balloons. In the 1500s, balloon was a game played with a leather ball, from the Italian pallone, "large ball."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"So there was hundreds of trials. We had many, many failures," said Juliana Cumming, a PhD student at the university and co-creator of the "Bioloon", a 100-percent biodegradable balloon.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
His required monthly payment doesn’t cover the $500 added in monthly interest, causing his balance to balloon over time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
We’ve already seen Big Tech names like Meta and Google erase user data and impose limits on virtual storage as A.I. expenditures balloon and memory becomes more expensive.
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
In that same spirit of excess, there’s an extra scene in the end credits that goes over like a lead balloon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
When the balloon pierced the fog of the low-lying clouds, the air grew cold and damp.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
The environmental impact of traditional balloons, which despite their advertising do not degrade, is largely unknown to the general public.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
A 2019 study by the University of Tasmania, published in Scientific Reports, found balloons were "the highest-risk plastic debris item" for seabirds, carrying a mortality risk 32 times higher than ingesting hard plastics.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
Even balloons that are labelled as 100% biodegradable often never fully break down, unlike Bioloon, Melia claimed.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
"We'd just hosted a large event and I was surrounded by thousands of popped balloons," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
I tied the balloons to the kids’ arms and sent them outside.
From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen
In the U.S., federal debt held by the public has ballooned to 100% of GDP from 32% in 2008.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
The following year, that number ballooned to 18, with 14 in Los Angeles County.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
But this financial year it has ballooned to $54bn and the scheme now supports more than 700,000 people.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
That stake has ballooned in value to tens of billions of dollars, based on the company’s current market value.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
The white canopy ballooned on the night wind, flapping softly, tied by a thousand green ribbons to the birds.
From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury
The giant green character, complete with distinctive blue shirt, has become one of the most-loved regulars on the UK ballooning circuit, delighting crowds wherever he lands.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Another headache will be tackling ballooning welfare costs, which Burnham has acknowledged need to be reduced.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
Some admissions advisers say cutting supplemental essays will only add to the ballooning ranks of students who get deferred and wait-listed as young people apply to more colleges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The industry is approaching what Cox calls “a moment of truth,” as stratospheric valuations collide with ballooning capex and slower-than-expected adoption of the technology.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
I ask Nate, ache ballooning in my throat.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
