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.
had ballooned
-
past perfectof balloon.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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 Muir sent out his update, that spread had ballooned to around 183 basis points and the trend was also picked up by JPMorgan’s derivative strategy team, led by Bram Kaplan.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
In 2025 the number had ballooned to 410, with 6,223 merchant seamen falling victim.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2026
An expansion of Canada’s existing Trans Mountain pipeline took roughly six years to build, and by the time it was completed in 2024 the cost had ballooned to about $25 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026
Less than a year ago Davis, who played at 190 pounds, had ballooned to more than 300.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2025
He never forgot about treats, though now I could no longer run to greet him, for my right foot had ballooned and become purple and shiny like an eggplant.
From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat
