balloon
noun
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.
ballooned
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past participleof balloon.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
-
past tense formof balloon.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
balloonnouna 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.
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.
When Puerto Rico’s debt crisis ballooned into the largest governmental default in U.S. history, Congress stepped in with an unprecedented solution.
From Slate ● Oct. 12, 2026
The film eventually ballooned to six hours before Gibney began whittling it back.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
President Emmanuel Macron has struggled to rein in spending that ballooned in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
The note also makes the point that U.S. interest payments as a percentage of GDP are roughly 4.1% whereas in the late 90s they had ballooned to a figure approaching 5%.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
And after a few awkward seconds, Bit ballooned his chest with bravery, rolled his shoulders back, and said, "Candy for sale."
From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds
