balloon

1 of 3

noun

bal·​loon bə-ˈlün 

plural balloons

1

: a nonporous bag of light material that can be inflated especially with air or gas: such as

a

: a bag that is filled with heated air or a gas lighter than air so as to rise and float in the atmosphere and that usually carries a suspended load (such as a gondola with passengers)

b

: an inflatable bag (as of rubber or plastic) usually used as a toy or for decoration

c

medical : a small bag that can be inflated (as in a bodily cavity) with air or gas

More than 700,000 Americans undergo procedures in which clogged arteries are cleared out with a balloon and then propped open with a tiny metal scaffold called a stent.

—Ron Winslow

2

: the outline enclosing words spoken or thought by a figure especially in a cartoon

balloon

2 of 3

adjective

1

: relating to, resembling, or suggesting a balloon

a balloon sleeve

2

US : having or being a final installment that is much larger than preceding ones in a term or installment note

a balloon note

a balloon mortgage

Got a commercial mortgage coming due? If the loan requires a balloon payment (as many such mortgages do), you may have a hard time refinancing …

—INC

balloon

3 of 3

verb

ballooned; ballooning; balloons

intransitive verb

1

: to swell or puff out : expand

ballooned to 200 pounds

2

: to ascend or travel in or as if in a balloon

3

: to increase rapidly

ballooning prices

transitive verb

: inflate, increase

Phrases

go over like a lead balloon (US) or British go down like a lead balloon

informal

: to fail completely to impress or amuse other people

Not surprisingly, his overt religiosity has proved a mixed blessing. While probably a winner on the stump, it has gone over like a lead balloon with journalists, liberals, and even many Jewish organizations.

—Michelle Cottle

But the last time I saw it on stage, in Ned Sherrin's 1996 revival, the dialogue bored me rigid and the whole thing … went down like a lead balloon.

—David Nice

Synonyms

Verb

• accelerate
• accumulate
• appreciate
• boom
• build up
• burgeon
• bourgeon
• climb
• enlarge
• escalate
• expand
• gain
• increase
• mount
• multiply
• mushroom
• proliferate
• rise
• roll up
• snowball
• spread
• swell
• wax

Examples of balloon in a Sentence

Noun

I blew up a balloon but then it burst.

brightly colored balloons and other party decorations

Verb

Their credit card debt ballooned to more than $5,000.

the ballooning costs of education

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The New York Times reported the following day that winds reached 43 miles per hour on Nov. 27, 1997, causing handlers to struggle to maintain control of their towering balloon characters. —John Russell, People.com, 27 Nov. 2024

As inequality balloons, more people join the billionaire class. —Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 26 Nov. 2024

Adjective

President Joe Biden delivered remarks about the objects Thursday, downplaying the possibility that the non-balloon objects shot down might also be tied to surveillance efforts. —Dennis Romero, NBC News, 18 Feb. 2023

Such releases have been banned in a handful of states and cities, according to the anti-balloon release organization called Balloons Blow. —Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Apr. 2022

Verb

In the last year, with most Israelis’ focus on the post-Oct. 7 war in Gaza, settlement construction in the West Bank has ballooned alongside new roads and infrastructure, including a dramatic increase in the establishment of unauthorized settler outposts. —Dina Kraft, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Nov. 2024

Paris Hilton's media company 11:11 has ballooned amid one of the toughest climates for the media industry in the last decade. —Sara Fischer, Axios, 19 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French ballon large football, balloon, from Italian dialect ballone large football, augmentative of balla ball, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German balla ball — more at ball

First Known Use

Noun

1783, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1784, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1784, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing balloon

• balloon angioplasty
• balloon catheter
• balloon flower
• balloon payment
• balloon tire
• balloon vine
• barrage balloon
• hot-air balloon
• trial balloon
• water balloon

Kids Definition

balloon

1 of 2 noun

bal·​loon bə-ˈlün 

1

: a bag of tough light material filled with heated gas or a gas lighter than air so as to rise and float in the atmosphere and that usually carries a suspended load (as a gondola with passengers)

2

: a toy or decoration consisting of an inflatable bag (as of rubber)

3

: an outline containing words spoken or thought by a character (as in a cartoon)

balloon

2 of 2 verb

1

: to go up or travel in a balloon

2

: to swell or puff out

3

: to increase rapidly

ballooning prices

Medical Definition

balloon

1 of 2 noun

bal·​loon bə-ˈlün 

: a nonporous bag of tough light material that can be inflated (as in a bodily cavity) with air or gas

gastroesophageal tamponade by introduction of a balloon into the stomach

balloon

2 of 2 transitive verb

: to inflate or distend like a balloon

intransitive verb

: to swell or puff out

Legal Definition

balloon

adjective

bal·​loon

: being or having a final installment that is much larger than preceding ones in an installment or term loan

a balloon payment

Note: In contrast to an amortized loan, a balloon loan is generally repaid in periodic payments of interest and a large, lump sum payment of principal at the end of the term.