Synonyms

pilot balloon

American

noun

a balloon for the visual observation of upper-atmosphere wind currents.

pilot balloon British

noun

a meteorological balloon used to observe air currents

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of pilot balloon

First recorded in 1840–50

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.

Several thousand observations with various agencies, such as kites and pilot balloons and more especially measurements made with theodolites and nephoscopes, show that there is a definite twist to the right with elevation.

From Project Gutenberg

They even took readings high up in the air thanks to a pilot balloon.

From Time

My O'D. will, however, serve as a pilot balloon, and if it go up freely we can follow in the same direction.

From Project Gutenberg

The pilot balloon, that is so soon out of sight, can offer no guidance—don't forget that!

From Project Gutenberg

If I have to perform much longer as a pilot balloon, Tom, I 'm thinking I 'm very likely to explode.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023