trial balloon

noun

: a project or scheme tentatively announced in order to test public opinion

Examples of trial balloon in a Sentence

She's been floating trial balloons about a possible run for Congress.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Vehicles the company bet its future on are a strange place for a trial balloon. Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 8 Oct. 2024 The source disputed speculation that Trump nominated Gaetz as a trial balloon to draw scrutiny away from other controversial picks, such as Hegseth, Kennedy or former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii), who will be nominated to serve as director of national intelligence. Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 20 Nov. 2024 Weeks after floating a huge trial balloon, Comcast followed through this morning, announcing plans to spin off most of its linear cable networks into a separate company, including such stalwarts as CNBC, MSNBC, USA Network and SyFy. David Bloom, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024 The trial balloon was shot down by both the mayor and other council members, twelve of whom had joined Clarke and Parker in writing a letter to Kenney regarding police reform in June 2020. Yiyun Li, Harper's Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for trial balloon 

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trial balloon was in 1826

Dictionary Entries Near trial balloon

Cite this Entry

“Trial balloon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trial%20balloon. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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