balloon
noun
\
Definition of balloon
(Entry 1 of 3)
balloon
adjectiveDefinition of balloon (Entry 2 of 3)
balloon
verbDefinition of balloon (Entry 3 of 3)
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms & Antonyms for balloon
Synonyms: Verb
accelerate, accumulate, appreciate, boom, build up, burgeon (also bourgeon), climb, enlarge, escalate, expand, gain, increase, mount, multiply, mushroom, proliferate, rise, roll up, snowball, spread, swell, wax
Antonyms: Verb
contract, decrease, diminish, dwindle, lessen, recede, wane
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of balloon in a Sentence
Noun
I blew up a balloon but then it burst. brightly colored balloons and other party decorationsVerb
Their credit card debt ballooned to more than $5,000. the ballooning costs of education
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The data collection involves numerous instruments on towers of varying heights, lasers, drones, weather balloons and low-flying aircraft. — USA TODAY, "Record grapefruit, light rail win, Snake Road: News from around our 50 states," 29 Aug. 2019 Everyone was confused until Sarah's mom Michelle looked at the rest of the gift (balloons and a onesie) and noticed the onesie had a Studio 19 logo. — Martha Sorren, Woman's Day, "Studio 19 Sent Sarah a Gift On 'Dance Moms,' and It Caused Serious Drama," 7 Aug. 2019 But now, in the spot where the two once stood lookout, there are signs, balloons and flowers. — The Washington Post, oregonlive.com, "Two mothers who fought gun violence for years were shot and killed in Chicago," 30 July 2019 Erick's mother, Jamia Jones, was out buying balloons and decorations for the party when her cousin called alerting her to the fire. — Gabriel Kinder, CNN, "Firefighters throw a surprise party for a boy whose house burned down on his birthday," 15 July 2019 There is no charge (other than parking) to view the balloons and fireworks. — Luann Gibbs, Cincinnati.com, "Things to do in Cincinnati this week: July 1-7," 30 June 2019 City’s history with helium Beginning in the 1920s, the U.S. government hoarded helium for military purposes — specifically, to keep its balloons and dirigibles afloat. — Laura Garcia, ExpressNews.com, "Global helium market faces more uncertainty as government prepares to sell its stockpile stored in Texas," 21 June 2019 The carnival features live music, sound therapy by Sacred Sound of the Soul, games and booths with go fish pool, ping pong ball, water balloon and can toss and squirt gun games along with bubbles/chalk art station and hot dog building contest. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Girl Scouts donate trash sorting cans to Alta Vista Botanical Gardens," 17 June 2019 On a nearby bridge over the Nile, families were enjoying a night out, with vendors selling balloons and snacks. — Laura King, latimes.com, "Ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi's death stirs memories of onetime democracy hopes," 17 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
But business investment, the ballooning federal deficit and trade concerns are creating pressure that White House officials have struggled to explain away. — Damian Paletta, Washington Post, "The month a shadow fell on Trump’s economy," 22 Aug. 2019 Or perhaps some stars collapse without ever ballooning into supergiant stars, or solitary black holes meet one another and bind to form pairs. — Quanta Magazine, "To Make Two Black Holes Collide, Try Three," 15 Aug. 2019 The anthem controversy quickly ballooned into a national story. — Gillian Brockell, courant.com, "A national anthem protest ruined Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf’s NBA career. Now he’s being honored by LSU.," 23 July 2019 As the days dragged on, what might have simply been an inconvenient blip ballooned into a major incident. — Wired, "Europe's Weeklong Satellite Outage Is Over—But Still Serves as a Warning," 18 July 2019 In recent years, the small eastern Mediterranean country has buckled under ballooning public debt, a decaying infrastructure and political infighting. — Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, "Newspaper devotes entire issue to 'wake-up call' for the country," 8 Aug. 2019 City officials have for years blamed fire department staffing shortages on salary and benefit packages that fail to compete with surrounding jurisdictions, an issue that has led to ballooning overtime costs. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "San Diego City Council restores firefighter death, disability benefits," 6 Aug. 2019 The spending has lifted the economy but with ballooning consumer debt that could help start a recession. — Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, "Russians Pull Out Credit Cards, and Consumer Debt Spirals," 5 Aug. 2019 The arrests come on the heels of the state overhauling the parole system, helping lower the state's prison population and ballooning the ranks of parolees. — NBC News, "6 killings in two months allegedly by people on parole in Pennsylvania prompt calls for review," 25 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'balloon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.