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.
have ballooned
-
present perfectof balloon.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
But Medi-Cal costs to cover roughly 1.4 million immigrants have ballooned, according to the latest estimates from the Department of Health Care Services.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
College wait lists have ballooned to give schools options; “Why continue stringing me on?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
At hubs like Houston, Atlanta and New York, wait times have ballooned to hours, with viral videos showing passengers winding through snaking lines that stretch far beyond normal TSA checkpoints.
From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2026
Meanwhile, household bank deposits have ballooned to record levels in recent years.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 26, 2026
I hear the shuffle of feet as the men stand to attention, and the orderlies come out again, and the folds of the flag have ballooned up to receive and embrace a man's body.
From A Diary Without Dates by Enid Bagnold
